


Persona: Merc for Hire

by Ark2012



Category: Persona Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-03-09 11:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 140,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3248021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ark2012/pseuds/Ark2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killing Shadows and saving the world is a good deed by itself, but why do what you do best for free? Follow Caius Gevauden, Shadow mercenary and treasure hunter with a shady backstory, as he gets tossed into the battle between good and evil. Would he end up helping the heroes save the world? Or would he end up as one of the heralds of doom? One thing's for sure though, whichever side he serves, they better cough up his paycheck by the end of it.... Post-Ultimax</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this story had been posted on fanfic.net for a while, and I thought I might as well post it on AO3 and see how it goes down. And head's up, the first two chapters were written when I had little to no clue where the story was going to go, and the action doesn't really pick up until Chapter 4, so please bear with me!

_Inner thoughts_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

 

The Green Moon overlooked Tokyo’s streets, which were overflowing with blood and littered with eerie coffins. None of the street lights functioned, nor did anything function electronically anyway. Silence prevailed, consuming all.

                And that’s just the way I like it.

                Strolling down the empty streets of Tokyo, I hummed merrily, piercing the silence with the happy tune of _Twisted Nerve_. My purple hood was up, creating a comforting area of warmth right around my scalp, while my left hand was at my hip, lightly tracing the leather holster strapped on my leg. My other hand grasped the handle of a sawn-off double barrel shotgun which rested on my right shoulder.

                _Yep, nothing special going on here folks, just your average Dark Hour stroll going on._ I chuckled at the absurdity of that thought. As if the Dark Hour was anything average….

                A loud creaking sound drew my attention. Quickening up my pace, I jogged towards the sound, footsteps splashing in the puddles of blood. Anticipation was building up in my mind. One thing the Dark Hour is sure to guarantee for people like me is entertainment. And boy do you need that if you suddenly find yourself in possession of an extra hour in which nothing electronic functions.

                Rounding the corner, I saw a Gigas wrenching at the lid of a coffin in an alley way. It seems to be making progress as well, since the coffin was already half-open. Just a little bit more, and the Gigas would be able to throw open the lid and reveal the sleeper within. Guess whoever’s in there is real lucky I showed up. I placed two fingers in my mouth and whistled shrilly to get its attention.

                I succeeded. The Gigas snapped its attention towards me, baleful eyes almost glowing in the dark. It turned towards me and flexed its muscles threateningly.

                I smiled and crouched down a bit, patting my legs with my left hand: “So you wanna play, lil’ Hogan? Well, come on, come to Daddy!”

                The Gigas, apparently enraged by my taunt, roared and came charging towards me, fist raised and ready. My hand flashed down to the leather holster and a muzzle was soon pressed snugly against my chin. The sound of shattering glass was barely audible within the giant crash resulting from the Giga’s strike.

                When the dust settled, the Gigas flinched and jumped back, drawing distance between the combatants. Standing right in front of me was a Jester dressed in a faded motley colored in shades of purple, yellow, and green. Each of the Jester’s limbs were manacled, with the chains all leading to a giant cross, like a marionette. The cross was held in the Jester’s left hand, while the right hand grasped a mask portraying an expression of utmost calm and tranquility. But the Jester’s face was the exact opposite of the mask he held. With eyes were bloodshot and wide, a nose where only two slits remain, and a smile so wide that more gum showed than teeth, he was the portrait of madness.

                The giant marionette cross was faced towards the Gigas, and slightly smoking from receiving the blow. I lowered my Evoker and sneered at the bewildered Shadow in front of me.

                “My, my, my, are you really that ignorant that you took my words for real? I mean, haven’t you heard of **Jester’s Privileges**?”

                At my hidden command, the Jester threw his head back and roared in maniacal laughter. As I heard it, I felt fully lighter and stronger than I usually do. Judging by the Giga’s panicked expression, the opposite is happening for him. The shadowed turned around and tried to escape, but stumbled due to not being used to the feeling of debilitation.

                I, however, have no such problem as I sprinted towards and past the giant lumbering Gigas. Ducking under his punch, I let out a laugh of exhilaration as I swung my shotgun up and unloaded both barrels straight into the Shadow’s torso. The Persona-reinforced shot sent the Gigas stumbling back towards where the Jester waited. I snapped my fingers towards the Jester.

                “Chicot, **Bufudyne**.”

                Within the blink of an eye, the Gigas was encased in a thick block of ice. Strolling casually towards the trapped shadow, I lightly tapped on the ice with the butt of my gun.

                The slab of ice completely shattered, with the shadow inside it. I looked down at the shattered mess and covered my mouth in mock surprise.

                “Oops…”

Chicot, the jester and my Persona, cackled madly at my antics before fading away. I felt him settle down comfortably at the back of my head somewhere. Chuckling to myself, I turned around to look at the coffin that the Gigas was trying to open. There was a faint rustling coming out from it, and I tensed up, alarmed.

                _Surely there won’t be a shadow inside, right?_

                Jogging towards the coffin, I peaked inside and let out a groan of relief. It was just the inhabitant of the coffin moving a bit. As far as I can see, it’s a girl, late teens to early 20s I think… she started rubbing her eyes and looked at me groggily.

                “Wait….. wh-“ *wham*

                I slammed the coffin shut before she could finish the question. There are things that are better off remaining unknown, and the Dark Hour is like that towards a non-Persona user. Now that her coffin is completely shut, she’ll pass out again. Once the Dark Hour is over, she’ll remember none of it and return to her normal life.

                _‘Or she would get hit by a memory, out of nowhere, of waking up, seeing a face, and having a coffin lid slammed down upon her.’_ A grating voice muttered in the back of my head. I snickered at Chicot’s remark, the image of that girl blinking confusedly at a random memory while the rest of Tokyo rushed around her being too amusing to resist.

                ‘ _She was good looking as well. Maybe you should’ve asked for her number or something?’_

_‘Chicot, we’ve been through this. With the life I lead, I can’t get into a relationship with anyone other than a Persona-user. And you know full well she is not a Persona-user.’_

_‘But think about all the girls you’re missing out on! I mean, look around! Well, not now since everyone’s transmogrified, but you get what I mean!’_

_‘Down, boy. Libido has no place in the Dark Hour.’_

_‘Man, you’re no fun…’_

                Turning around towards the mess that was the Gigas, I crouched down and sifted through the murky sludge, grimacing at the task. _Yuck… As if fighting them wasn’t enough…._ After a few minutes, I found a shiny golden belt and a gemstone. With this and all that I’ve gathered this month then I should be able to cover food, rent, other bills, and still have some money left over for monthly spending.

                _Who needs a job when you’ve got a Persona? Shadows are walking treasure chests!_

                Smiling to myself, I reached into my jacket and pulled out a mechanical pocket watch. There’s only 15 minutes left of the Dark Hour, so I should head back to my apartment…

                The Dark Hour ended almost the minute my apartment door clicked shut. The green hue covering the moon dissipated, and I could hear my landlord walking around in the hall. It was because of his coffin standing squat in the middle of the corridor that I almost didn’t make it into my suite in time, but all’s well that ends well.

                The apartment was roomy for just one person. A living room with a desk which also served as a nice dining table, a couch, and a flat screen TV with a PS3 hooked on. A small, yet fully stocked, kitchen. And of course there’s a bedroom and bathroom. That’s all a guy really needed to get by life.

                Throwing my loot for the night onto the couch, I went to the bathroom, stripped down, and turned the shower on. Sighing in relief as the hot water washed over me, I glanced at my reflection on the glass doors of the shower. A lean face with short spikey black hair glanced back. Reaching towards Chicot, I remarked:

                _‘Yo, Chicot. Wonder what tomorrow would bring?’_

_‘Eh, who cares? You can’t start tomorrow without finishing up today. And for today, life is good.’_

I chuckled in amusement as I dried out my hair and donned a set of pajamas. I know more than others that life rarely runs smoothly, especially for a Persona-user. But as I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes, I can’t help but agree with Chicot.

                _Yeah. Life is good._

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: ???   Ice: ???   Wind: ???  Thunder: ???  Light: ??? Darkness: ???

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

???

???

???

???

???

???                                                                                                                                                

 


	2. Chapter 2

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

* * *

 

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

                I woke up some time around noon, and feeling absolutely sore to the bones. I guess that’s what I get for going shadow hunting three days in a row…..

                _‘Why can’t you just send me in front like any other Persona user? Instead, you have to reverse the roles and charge in front like a bloody idiot, while I just buff you up and throw Bufu spells from afar.’_

_‘Shut up Chicot. I fight however I want to. And plus, whatever injury you sustain reflects upon me too, so it really wouldn’t make such a difference…’_

_‘Well, for one thing I’m holding a GIANT CROSS, which could be used as a SHIELD. And secondly, the same cut on me would translate to a smaller cut on you, since I’m larger than you.’_

_‘Yeah, but what’s the fun in that?’_

While we were bickering, I finished up my morning (or more like, noon) cleanup routine and settled down for a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Well, more like meat strips and eggs, since I just can’t find perfect American bacon in Tokyo. Thinking about it, I never did have good ol’ fashioned bacon since I was a kid…. Leaning back, I reminisced about earlier days spent on the suburban streets just off Toronto, Canada. Before all this mess, and before….

                _‘Before I showed up?’_ Chicot’s voice was a mix of envy and……sadness?

                _‘Why are you so glum? I was just reminiscing.’_

 _‘I can feel the happiness in those memories.’_ Chicot’s mental voice was subdued, _‘I have never sensed such deep rooted happiness in you since I was born.’_

                _‘Is that what you were worried about? You fool… How many times do I have to tell you that I owe you an utmost debt of gratitude, just for being there?’_

 _‘I guess so…. Ok then! So what’s on the agenda for today? Nightclub, bar, ohhh…. Maybe even a strip club?’_ I sighed. Chicot was back to normal. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.    

                ‘ _Ammunition and the pawnshop.’_

_‘What?!’_

_‘And straight back home.’_

_‘WHAAAAAAAT?!’_

                Ignoring Chicot’s string of curses floating round the back of my head, I headed down to my apartment basement with my bag of loot from yesterday, unlocking the front door and stepping into the musty air. For anyone else the lingering aroma of coal would be nauseating, but for me it was refreshing. The landlord had no use for the giant basement, since nobody would rent it, so he gladly sold the entire floor to me. At an absurd price as well, no haggling whatsoever. My mood darkened a bit at that thought. I had to pawn a few prized Shadow trophies to afford the price he gave.

                _He has no idea how hard these Guardian Towers were to take down….. And the renovations weren’t cheap either….._

                Flicking on the light switch, the renovations I made came to light. A giant ventilation system ran across the ceiling, one end connecting to the sewers (where the air went out) and the other connecting to a window (where the air comes in). A messy work bench sat in the corner of the room, various tools scattered on its surface, including a mortar and pestle. But the most noticeable of the bunch was the giant coal furnace standing in the middle of the room, connected to an electrical air pump. A stone bowl and several casts lay on the side, as well as a pair of leather gloves and a set of tongs. A set of hammers hung on the wall behind the furnace, and an anvil can be seen peeking out of the corner of the room.

                I flicked on the ventilation system and strolled towards the furnace, throwing down my bag and picking up a few loose bits of wood from a shelf on the way. Clearing away the residual coal from my last casting, I set the wood up in small tent shape and got to work starting the fire with a box of matches and newspaper.

                The thing is, Japan has really tight gun control laws. It was quite a pain to get my own sawn-off Lupara in the first place, and I don’t really look forward to going through all that trouble and risk every month to obtain the shells I need. So I cast my own from whatever brass junk I find. It’s much cheaper and safer than buying the shells on the black market, and it offers me a bit of customization that isn’t offered anywhere else…

                The fire was flickering nicely, so I turned on the air pump and scooped a pile of coal on top. Averting my eyes from the sudden blast of light coming from the fire leaping up, I dropped into the stone bowl several brass water taps I found in the junk, and carefully placed the bowl on top of the fire with the tongs. It would take a while to melt, so I could leave it there for now. Plus, when brass melts, it creates a bright emerald flame that flares out of the bowl. There’s no way in Hell I would miss that.

                I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a leather pouch, and emptied the contents on the workbench. Mazio gems, Mabufu gems, Maragi gems….. all of them glittering on the dusty surface of my workbench. Smiling to myself, I grabbed the mortar and dropped a Maragi gem into it.

                _Time to test out my theory…._

               

* * *

 

                Later in the evening, I was sitting in the local bar staring at the bottle of whiskey standing in front of me. Somehow Chicot has managed to drag me out here. Don’t ask me how.

                _‘C’mon Caius, you need to relax a bit. Talk to the ladies, maybe get some. You need this for your own good.’_

_‘How can I talk to the ladies when they can’t ever understand what makes me myself? I can’t reveal you, I can’t tell them why I behave weirdly around midnight. And if I ‘get some’ as you suggested, I would have to explain how I suddenly teleported from one part of the room to the other in the second it takes for midnight to pass. And don’t tell me I NEED the alcohol. I could abstain if I didn’t come to the bar.’_

I downed my drink, and knocked on the bar with my knuckle. The bartender, Saitou, walked over with a grin.

                “More whiskey, Gevauden? I see you haven’t finished you bottle yet.”

                “Nah. You got anything to eat Saitou?”

                “I do believe we have some fresh sashimi. Shall I bring out a plate, Gevauden?”

                “Sure thing. And haven’t I told you to call me Caius?”

                “Ah, but you are a customer, and it is the Japanese way to refer to customers with their last names. Your experience in the West has given you different values I see.”

                “Eh, whatever floats your boat. I swear that you do that just to irk me though.”

                “Of course not. Now if you will excuse me, I shall go fetch the sashimi.” Holding an expression of mock hurt, Saitou went to the kitchen, but amusement was practically radiating from him. I snorted to myself.

_Japanese culture my foot. He’s just doing it to mess with me._

                Saitou came back quickly, dropping off a plate of sashimi in front of me and insisting on calling me by my last name the whole while. As if I haven’t been coming to his bar for the last 3 years or so. I sighed and dug into my food, seasoning the raw fish with soy sauce and wasabi. As usual, it tasted awesome. Perhaps I’ll just finish up the food and drink, and then head back for the night….

 _‘Oh no you don’t. You should stay and socialize with someone. Anyone. You need human interaction. You need to start your life again.’_ Chicot’s voice was firm. Firmer then what I’ve heard in a long time. I paused before responding.

_‘What’s wrong with my life? I like it the way it is.’_

_‘What’s wrong with your life? Everything is wrong. Every day you wake up, make ammunition, buy groceries, sell shadow loot, play Skyrim, and come to this bar to eat and/or get drunk. Every two to three days you go out in the Dark Hour and kick Shadow butt. Every now and then you flirt with a lady, you get a lap dance every month or so, and I can tell it’s only a minor distraction for you. 90 percent of your time is spent getting ready for battles in the Dark Hour, which you go at it with only me in your company. You need human interactions man, and I don’t mean the random banter with Saitou. I don’t even mean a girlfriend or something like that. You need a friend.’_

_‘Chicot, I have friends.’_

_‘Oh yeah? Well where are they? It’s been 5 years since we heard anything from Strega.’_

                  The name raises a lump in my throat. The thin and snarky Takaya, with his absolute refusal to wear a shirt, even as his body broke down from the suppressants. Said it was because he wanted to feel every living moment to the fullest before his inevitable early death. Jin, who was a pain in the butt sometimes, but was absolutely loyal to all those he considered friends and had a great sense of humor when not engrossed in his laptop. And Chidori, dressed in so many ridiculous frills and laces, who was quite axe-crazy when annoyed to an extent yet could be the most caring and loving caretaker whenever one of us got injured one way or the other. And then there’s me…. I reached inside my jacket, feeling the holstered evoker inside and quietly tracing the letters marked on the barrel.

                  But Strega was dead. I left them years ago over conflicting ideals, but it was still quite a shock to see them on the newspapers a few years back. Then everyone forgot. Even me, for a short time. Then I remembered, but nobody else did. Even the newspaper article that reported their speech mysteriously disappeared. It was like their existence was erased in all but my memory. I slightly raised my glass and muttered a toast in their memory before downing it. If nobody in this world remembers the existence of my past friends, the least I can do is to mourn them properly as friends should.

                 Then I shook my head slightly to clear it of those thoughts.

 _‘You miss them right? So do I. Medea, Hypnos, and Moros were quite fun to fight alongside, and I haven’t met another Persona in a long, long time.’_ Chicot’s voice held sadness, but quickly took a firmer turn. _‘But that’s not the point here. You are still holding on to their deaths. You need to move on bro.’_

_‘I have. I’m here, am I not? And I have made friends since then.’_

_‘Oh, you mean Adachi? Yeah, I’ve gotta admit, those were your happier days. But then…’_

                  Chicot’s words trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish them. Tohru Adachi of the Tokyo PD. He used to frequent this bar a lot, and we often talked. Before I knew it, I was starting to care about that guy, even though I was still frequently annoyed by his over optimism. He had goals and dreams, and was excited to finally make detective after years of hard work. Then one day he came to this bar completely crestfallen. I still remember the conversation that day:

_I looked up and saw Adachi head in my direction. I raised an eyebrow at his expression._

_“You look like you need a drink. Here, it’s on me.” I offered him a shot of whiskey. He downed it in one swing._

_“Man, I fucked up. Big time. And it ain’t even my fault…” Adachi looked up at me, despair in his eyes. “I’m transferring tomorrow. To this small town named Inaba.”_

_I did a double take and recomposed myself. “Why? What did you do?”_

_“It was a hostage situation. Lady gets grabbed by crook and held hostage, right? Well, I was part of the confronting party and was supposed to parley with the guy. Things went well and we almost reached a conclusion. The dude would let the lady go and have a lessened sentence, and I guaranteed my protection to the guy when he’s in the hold. All’s good and well, and the superiors actually agreed to all the agreed upon conditions. Then that bitch…” Adachi’s face contorted with hatred, “she thought she was being smart, and rammed the dude’s foot with the heel of her high heels. I saw the guy look at her angrily and decide to kill her, agreement be dammed. So I drew and shot.” He let out a soft chuckle at that memory._

_“I was the fastest draw and best shot in my class in Police Academy. Hit that guy right between the eyes before he could kill the hostage. But as it turns out, I scratched the pretty little hostage’s pretty little face with my bullet, and she sued.” Adachi let his head hang and let out a sigh. “She didn’t win that court case, but she succeeded in persuading the chief to send me out to the middle of nowhere. Inaba… never even heard of that place before.”_

_“That’s tough, man. Here, your drinks tonight are on me. Think of it as a farewell present.” We touched glasses._

                I rubbed my temple, throwing away the image of our last meeting. As far as I know, one year after Adachi left I read about the Inaba murder cases, and his arrest. I was half expecting the world to forget about him, just like they did Strega, but that never happened. They still remember him, but remember him as a cold-hearted maniac killer. They might as well have forgotten about him, all things considered.

                _The world is a cold, unforgiving place…._ I took another swig of whiskey, and sensed Chicot’s lingering question at the back of my head.

                _‘Maybe someday, Chicot. Maybe I’ll be ready to lay my ghosts to rest and restart my life someday. Just….. not today.’_

_‘That’s all I ask, Caius. That’s all I ask….’_

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: ???   Ice: ???   Wind: ???  Thunder: ???  Light: ??? Darkness: ???

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

???

???

???

???

???

???

 

               


	3. Chapter 3

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                I stumbled out of the bar, feeling at peace with the world. I also felt as though the ground was vaguely shaking under me, and that my brain was functioning with extreme lag right now. But that part wasn’t important. Not much was once you had a full bottle of whiskey. Humming an off-tune, I checked discreetly that my evoker and shotgun was still with me, safely tucked out of sight in the folds of my jacket. Happy that I still had them, I started to waltz my way back to my apartment…

                _‘You’re going to regret this tomorrow morning.’_ Chicot noted, wry amusement evident from his voice. When I first started drinking, a few years back, Chicot would get drunk once I did. But after time we learned how to keep the drunkenness in only one of us (which is me every single time), so that at least one of us is sober if a situation arises.

                _‘Well, ain’t your problem. And I’ll worry about sobering up tomorrow morning, thank you very much….’_

As if the world was trying to throw a wrench in my plans, a sudden silence fell upon us. Blood started seeping out of every crevice around, and the random passerby was suddenly replaced with vertically placed coffins. Apparently I was in the bar a lot longer than I thought…… fumbling a bit with the strap of the holster, I lifted my evoker and pressed the muzzle firmly on the underside of my jaw, and pulled the trigger. My inebriation made the farce of shooting oneself in the head almost pleasant, which wasn’t exactly comforting for the sober mind. Fortunately I wasn’t sober yet.

                “Chicot, **Amrita**.”

                The jester appeared briefly, waving a hand over me, showering me with a pile of sparkles. Immediately I felt completely invigorated, all traces of drunkenness gone. This is the other reason why it is a boon that Chicot can stay sober when I knock myself out with various liquors.

                _‘What did you say about sobering up tomorrow morning?’_

 _‘Shut up. This is partially your fault you know.’_ I silently rebuked while quickly inserting shells into the shotgun, snapping the barrel back into place with an audible click. _‘If you didn’t insist so, I would have never stayed so long in the bar, and would’ve gotten drunk in my room instead.’_  I took out a leather gun belt with all my rounds hanging on it and fastened it around my waist, while the evoker’s holster now hung on my left hip.

                Resting the barrel of the shotgun on my shoulder, I pulled my hood up and started strolling down the street, just like the night before. Just for the full effects of déjà vu, I started humming _Twisted Nerves_ as I waltzed down the streets.

                _Now we just need a shadow attack for the pattern to be complete…._

                As if on cue, a scream came out of nowhere. It was high-pitched, yet definitely masculine. I frowned a bit at that before sprinting towards the direction of the scream.

                _Okay, so the victim is male and already completely free from his coffin. Never dealt with that before…. But shouldn’t be that different. And I’d much rather be saving a cute girl anyway…._

Turning around the corner, I saw a grisly sight. A well-dressed man was sitting on the ground, slowly crawling away from three Mayas in which surround him. Behind the shadows, two Muttering Tiaras were busy munching on a corpse each. Judging by the pistols held in the corpse’s dead grasps, they were supposed to be some kind of bodyguards for the well-dressed man. Also judging by the shattered coffin next to their bodies, they were not born with a Persona. One coffin still remained more or less intact though, with only its lid wide open on its hinges.

                ‘ _I guess we can assume that the intact one belongs to the survivor…’_ Chicot spoke up.

                _‘Guess so. Okay, less talking, more shadow butt-kicking.’_

                I jumped in front of the Maya closest to the victim just as it was about to pounce. Swinging my gun around, I struck the shadow right on the mask with the butt of my gun mid-jump, stunning it. Snapping the gun around, I struck the second Maya at the temple area of its mask, and met the third with a solid buckshot. The third disintegrated, but the first two just regained their footing and kept coming.

                _Dam… guess a simple hit wasn’t enough to kill them…._

                I was quickly reloading the shotgun when a spurt of fire came from somewhere behind the Mayas and arced towards me. Almost instantly I felt my body react of its own and did a one-handed cartwheel out of the way, and another quick backflip to avoid two more Agi spells. Almost casually, I took aim with my shotgun in mid-air and released two shots at the remaining Mayas, shattering their masks and sending them screaming to oblivion.

                “ **Angelic Grace** …. I really owe Chicot one.” I muttered quietly as I landed in a crouch, facing the Muttering Tiaras. I’m in fairly good shape, if I do say so myself, but there’s no way I could have pulled off that inhuman display of gymnastics if I didn’t have Chicot. The only part of that crazy maneuver that I could claim any credit for was shooting at the Mayas.

                _‘You’re welcome, but there’s certainly nothing ‘Angelic’ about you…’_ Chicot snickered slightly at the back of my head.

                _‘Why thank you Captain Obvious. I don’t know how I get by life without you. Now shut up and do you actual job.’_

                I grabbed my evoker and pointed it to my chin, ready to end this fight. My fingers tightened down on the trigger as I braced myself for the immense feeling of dread and death that followed each shot of the evoker. But instead of the sound of shattering glass and the mixed feeling of dread and exhilaration that followed each Persona summoning, I was suddenly launched to the side and felt a set of huge jaws clamping down on me.

The evoker was knocked out of my hands as I swung around my shotgun to wedge the barrel between maws of the Hablerie that just tackled me. If it wasn’t for the set of Barbaric Bracers I wore under the sleeves of my hoodie, my left arm would have been chomped off directly.

                _‘The Hell did he come from?’_ Chicot screamed in my mind.

                _‘I don’t know! Now shut up, maybe you didn’t notice but I’m kinda busy right now!’_ Grappling against the Hablerie, I spotted two more Agi spells headed my way, trailing a deadly arc behind them.

                _Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!!!_

                Swinging my weight around, I swung the Halberie between me and the Agi spells, gritting my teeth at the pain in my left arm from all the abuse it was taking.

                The first blast of fire ripped through the Halberie and it died with a shriek. The second shot right through the shadow corpse and hit me square on the chest, sending me flying back and slamming my back into a brick wall, knocking the wind out of me. I instinctively rolled to one side, not exactly aware of where I was going, but that proved to be a right decision as another blast of flame struck directly where I was sitting. I kept on rolling until I was behind some kind of cover. Probably a huge trash can or something like that.

                I mindlessly fumbled with my belt, clumsily reloading my gun while waiting for the world to stop spinning, both from the Agi spell and the multiple rolls I did to get there. Turning my head around, I saw a trembling heap which revealed itself to be the well-dressed man, curled in a fetal position with his head wrapped in his arms. Helpless and pathetic, but uninjured.

_Am I really going to die for that worthless thing? How bothersome…. Tch, but I started this, might as well finish it up…._

              Peeking around the corner, I drew back immediately as an Agi spell was thrown in my corner again. And more just came along, blast after blast. I could feel the vibrations coming from the other end of my meagre shelter. This thing, whatever it was, isn’t going to hold out for long as cover. I took a deep breath, and tried to piece together the picture I obtained from that glimpse I caught before the Agi spells forced me back into my shelter.

_The situation: two Muttering Tiaras, floating in wait. One corpse behind them, slowly bubbling into black goo from which a Halberie was emerging. That explains where the other Halberie came from. My evoker is lying almost directly under the Tiaras._

_My goal: Get the evoker, or just kill all three shadows by shotgun. Due to my gun being a double shot Lupara, and the fact that the Halberie would definitely stop me from killing the Tiaras first, the first option seems much better._

_My assets: Angelic Grace, Barbaric Bracers, one shotgun, a bunch of shotgun rounds, and…. Some experimental shots._

              I quickly fumbled at my belt and fished out a shotgun round marked out with a blue tape with black edges. Quickly swapping out the normal rounds in my gun with the marked ones, I got ready to rejoin the battle. It’s definitely a gamble, but that’s true for every battle right?

 _‘Time to jump off the ledge, my friend. We trend a dangerous path, but what a glorious flight either way!’_ Chicot cackled in the back on my mind. I cracked a maniacal smile myself.

               Planning time is over. Now it’s just killing time.

                The shelter I was hiding behind finally broke down into a flaming wreck. Sprinting out from behind the residual fire, I did flips and cartwheels around the Tiaras while they tried to catch me with an Agi spell. The bursts of fire blooming around my dodging figure resembled a fantastical display of fireworks. I ducked and weaved, waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

              The Halberie finally got impatient and charged at me, jaws open. I waited until it was almost on me before leaping into a front flip over the charging Shadow. When I landed, I was in the middle between all three shadows. Swinging my gun up so that the barrel was vertical in front of my face and pointing upwards, I felt my face pull into a wide grin of maniacal triumph as I pulled both triggers.

             Two bright blue arcs of electricity shot upwards and spit into six different arcs, two for each shadow. I heard the Halbarie’s death screams behind me, while the Tiaras were a bit hardier towards the relatively weak lightning strikes.

 **Mazio Gem** ….. By grinding down the gems and using them as bullet fillings, I was able to use two mazio gems to imitate the effects of a much more powerful lightning spell.

              The two Tiaras were winded but not quite dead. That’s fine by me. I broke out in a sprint towards the two shadows and jumped into a roll right in front of them, dropping my shotgun in the process. If I don’t get the evoker with this chance, I won’t live long enough to reload that gun anyway.

              Focusing solely on the glinting evoker on the ground, I scrapped the ground with the tips of my fingers while I grabbed the grip. Following instinct, I curled my back and lowered my head, allowing the back of my right shoulder to meet the ground, and starting a fast roll. I stopped in a half-kneeling position, the evoker pointed at my head.

              “Chicot! **MABUFUDYNE!** ” I roared as the spiritual bullet from the evoker tore through my mind and ripped Chicot out from the top of my head.

 _‘With PLEASURE!’_ Chicot let out a blood chillingly maniacal laugh as a whirlwind of ice formed around him and struck both Tiaras at the same time. With a scream, both shadows shattered into icy shards. Still laughing uncontrollably, Chicot returned to the back of my head.

               I breathed in deeply as I holstered my evoker.  Despite how long I’ve been doing this with Chicot, shooting oneself with an evoker is never pleasant business. In fact, it would defy the purpose if it was.  Turning around to retrieve my shotgun, I found Mr. Well-Dressed standing right behind me. He was smiling with relief, but there was a glint in his eyes I didn’t like. It was like a collector finally finding a long sought-after piece of art. He opened his mouth and a high-pitched, oily voice came out:

               “I would like to thank you so much for saving my life… I am Watanabe from the Prometheus Project, formerly funded by the Kirijo Corps. I would like to extend to you and invitation to join-”

                I spun around and delivered a heavy kick directly to his temple. Watanabe collapsed without another word. Checking his pulse to make sure he was still alive, I heaved a sigh.

_First I have to save him, now I have to deal with his marketing? What the hell… Hope he gets a concussion and forget all about this._

              I pulled on a pair of leather gloves and searched Watanabe’s pockets, finding a wallet and taking out all the cash within, then returning the wallet to where I found it. Since I risked my life for this guy, it’s only natural that I want some form of payment. Only the cash, mind you. I don’t touch another person’s credit card or ID.

             After that was over, I dragged Watanabe’s limp body into his coffin, slammed the lid shut, and turned around to loot the shadow bodies.

              I’m really looking forward to a good night’s sleep…

* * *

 

              I woke up with a start, and found myself unable to breathe properly. I can’t see anything either, and it feels like I’m being jostled around in a car…

_What the hell? I remember going back to my apartment before the Dark Hour ended and collapsing on my bed directly after, but what the hell is this?_

               I moved my head around. I’m almost certain there’s some sort of bag over my head. I can also hear vague voices talking in the background.

               “Oh look, the dude’s awake.” A gruff voice came from close to my left.

               “Well, it’s too early. Maybe a bit of anesthetic?” An oily voice came from my right. I perked up in recognition.

_Watanabe-?_

                A sharp blow to the head sent me back to oblivion.

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: ???   Wind: ???  Thunder: ???  Light: ???  Darkness: ???

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

???

???

???

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

_I sat on the porch of our backyard, face in my hands. Sobs wracked my weak frame as the mid-autumn breeze swept against me. Footsteps sounded up behind me. I turned and looked at the concerned face of Mom._

_“What’s wrong, honey? Somebody bullied you again?”_

_I nodded my head. “To-today Brad s-said mean th-things to me. And t-then he took m-my l-lunch and h-hit me in the f-face!” I managed to choke out between sobs. “I-it’s not f-fair…..”_

_A brief flash of emotion – Anger? Sadness? – flashed across Mom’s face. Then she resumed her caring smile and asked gently but firmly:_

_“What did Brad say, my dear? I know my little Gevauden wouldn’t be fazed by just names.”_

_“N-no. S-stick and stones may break my bones, but w-words can n-never hurt…” I recited to myself the little dogma. “B-but Brad s-said that I….. I d-don’t have a D-dad! That D-dad doesn’t l-like me!”_

_For a second, Mom seemed stricken. I quickly caught on: “Is it t-true then? D-dad doesn’t really like me?”_

_“No, no of course not. You see him every year right?” Mum kneeled down in front of me, leveling her face with mine, and placed her hands on my shoulders. “He just has to work. The Kirijo Corporation in Japan is really demanding of him.”_

_“K-kirijo? Who is that? W-why would daddy want to spend more time with them than us?”_

_“Daddy does it because we need money to stay here. He does it because he loves us.” Mom pulled me into a warm embrace. “I promise…..”_

* * *

 

I woke with a start. That was… an old memory. So long ago that it felt like almost a lifetime since it happened…. But that doesn’t seem like the most important thing right now, right?

Shifting my weight around, I found myself strapped onto a dental chair of sorts with a full-body straitjacket binding me down. More recent memories came flashing back. Getting drunk at the bar. The fight against the Shadows. Knocking Watanabe out just so he’ll shut up-

_Ah, yes. Watanabe._

 I looked up and around. I was in some sort of lab, and a lot of those machines surrounding me doesn’t look pleasant at all. A chill went down my spine as I examined one of them with a particularly long needle.

_I really don’t want to know where they’re gonna stick that…. Dammit, I need out!_

 I looked around frantically, panic rising, and called out to nowhere:

 “Yo, Watanabe? Listen up, bro, if you’re still mad at me kicking you, I’m sorry okay? The Dark Hour ain’t a place for normal folks like you, so I just assumed that you’d be better off forgetting ‘bout the whole thing, you know?”

 Silence.

 “And about the cash, you can get it back if you want. Hell, I can even let you kick me the face if that makes you happy… You know, why don’t we settle this like civilized gentlemen and talk it out? You know, over a cup of Earl Gray or something? Then you can tie me up, knock me out, and dump me somewhere where I could wake up and get home. It’ll be our little secret, I swear!”

 Silence again.

_‘Well that was an epic fail.’_

_‘Shut your mouth Chicot. I don’t need your lip now.’_

I shifted my weight under the straps of the straitjacket. There is no way in hell I’m gonna break free of those without any external help from Chicot. Looking up, I yelled out again:

 “If it is money you want, I’ve got lots of money. If it is Shadow parts you want, I can hunt you a bunch, no questions asked. Hell, I’ll do assassinations, extortions, even kick an adorable puppy for you, as long as you let me walk away from this! Free of charge!” I was practically shaking by the time I was done.

This time around, a slick oily voice rang out:

 “My, my, my, what happened to the tough guy act?” Watanabe stepped out from the gloom and smiled at me like a spider eyeing its tangled up prey. “But no, we have no need for money, and Shadow research is already out of fashion, so to speak. What we want is something that only you can provide. You rudely interrupted me when I did my introduction the first time, so let’s start out at top again.

 “My name is Baiko Watanabe, head of the Tokyo branch of the Prometheus project, formerly funded by the Kirijo Corporation.  After a certain incident 5 years ago, the funding for the project was…. Discontinued.” Watanabe raised his right hand in a grandiose flourish, “That’s where I came in. I provided funding for this massive operation and thus have been granted this position as head of the Tokyo Branch!

 “But I digress. Now, for our purpose and goals. Are you familiar with the Greek myth of Prometheus? The titan Prometheus stole fire from the Gods, and granted it to humans to protect them from the cold, the natural elements, and to dispel the _shadows_.” Watanabe paused, eyes spelling delight as the hidden message sank in. I felt my face fall slack in stark awe, horror, and despair as what he was implying fell into piece in my mind.

 _‘This…. This is….. what in the world….’_ Chicot was, for the first time in both our lives, shocked speechless at the gravity of the situation.

  “Hahahahahahaha! I see you understand now!” Watanabe laughed maniacally at my expression, “We are Prometheus, and we will take the holy fire that protects humans against Shadows from you, a Persona-user, one of the gods among men! And this holy fire is the power of Persona! We shall isolate your Persona and drag it out, to bequeath among others we find more…. worthy, of such honor.”

 _‘I-is that even possible?’_ Chicot stammered.

_‘I dunno…. Heck this is bad... really bad… Why did I even decide to save him?’_

Two men in white lab coats converged upon me, strapping a thick leather belt on my forehead to hold it in place. While they attached multiple sticky pads around my scalp and on my torso, Watanabe continued his monologue in a more normal voice.

  “It’s been a while since we managed to find a Persona-user that wasn’t already found by the Shadow Operatives. Your kind is really hard to find…. Especially since us normal people cannot freely move around during the Dark Hour. An artificial potential can easily be created, but without Persona or transmogrification, we are basically Shadow food.

“Artificial Personas and various other means of combating Shadows have been developed, but none of them are within our power to duplicate with our relatively meager funding compared to what Kirijo supplied.”  Watanabe paused, leering at me, “So you can imagine that I was quite pleased when I found you. You have saved me in more ways than one!”

“Why? Didn’t I save your life, Watanabe? Jumped in front of you when you were about to become Shadow chow?”

Bowing down so that his face was level with mine, Watanabe replied smugly:

“Yes, you did save my life, and now I will try to preserve yours for a while at least. You see those wires attached to you? They monitor your condition, so the separation procedure would not kill you. Your life is quite valuable as long as that Persona is within you.” He straightened up and shrugged, “What happens to you afterwards is none of my concern. The procedure would most likely be excruciating…. We are ripping out part of your mind after all. But you will most likely survive it.

“And I must admit, you kicking me in the temple and robbing me blind makes me feel a lot better about doing this to you. So I thank you for that.” He cracked a smile at that final statement. I groaned quietly.

_‘Yeah… knocking him out and robbing him turned out to be a bad idea….’_

_‘Would it had made a difference if you had not?’_ Chicot spoke up, trying to disperse my fear through banter. His own dread ruined the effect.

_‘I guess not. But it’ll feel less like I deserve this if I didn’t.’_

_‘Don’t say that. Nobody deserves this, not even the worse serial killer.’_

_‘Thanks …. Chicot?’_

_‘Yeah?’_

_‘When you leave me, after I’m dead- No, don’t interrupt, you know full well there’s a possibility of that actually happening- after I’m dead, avenge me… somehow. Please.’_

_‘Don’t worry about that…’_ Chicot’s voice was slightly quivering, _‘I would mold whoever inherits me into an exact image of you. You will live on that way…’_

_‘Dunno what I should think of that… Is that even possible?’_

_‘Hey, a Persona can dream, right? If I fail in that, I could always just drive the dude insane. They think of me as just a skill or a tool. I’ll probably drive 10 of their ‘more worthy ones’ insane before they even suspect anything’_ Chicot gave a quivering chuckle, and I eventually joined in.

During our farewells, the lab coats have finished wiring all the machinery onto me. Ignoring my chuckles, Watanabe stepped behind a machine and turned a dial. Suddenly an eerie silence fell upon us, along with a familiar greenish hue that covered everything. Darting my eyes around, I noticed that the water in the water machine had turned a familiar shade of scarlet.

_Wait… what…? They managed to recreate the Dark Hour?_

Looking at my bewildered face smugly, Watanabe gloated: “Yes, this is an artificial Dark Hour simulator. Of course, all the scientists you see here have been trained to remain human during the Dark Hour. The only one lacking in those abilities was me, but since I got dragged out of my coffin in the Shadow attack, now the Dark Hour is mine as well! But I digress. Shall we start the procedure then?”

He looked inquiringly at one of the lab coats, who gave a curt nod. Snapping straight as if snapping into attention, Watanabe raised a hand formally, as a General would to signal his troops to charge.

When the hand fell, my screams echoed the room.

I felt myself jerk up as my eyes snapped wide open, pupils threatening to pop out. Something was tearing through my head violently, rummaging for Chicot. It could be compared to using an evoker, but if the evoker shot spiritual bullets, then what I’m experiencing would be comparable to taking a nuclear warhead to the face.

Chicot tried to evade the force rummaging through my head, but alas, my mind had only so much space, and he was found. An ethereal version of Chicot began to slowly form above my body. Blood streaked down from his eyes as if he was weeping, and his mouth was open wide in a loud shrill screech. Our screams mingled, forming a loud cacophony ringing through the room. My linkage with him only proved to worsen things, since we can both feel each other’s pain. But as he solidifies, I could feel his pain less and less.

_Please…. Somebody…. Anybody…. Just end this!_

And it did end, although not the way Watanabe had predicted. The noise was gone, and so was the pain. I felt Chicot snap back into my mind, out linkage pulling him back in like a rubber band that had been stretched thin. I crumbled into a panting, sobbing heap. In the background, I heard Watanabe shouting at someone about how close they were, and a more subdued voice responding something about me dying before my Persona was isolated would cause the Persona to just disappear.

I could feel Chicot within me still, but like me, he was extremely weakened by the ordeal and remained silent. Neither of us spoke, yet we both felt the mood. For a brief moment, we were almost separated permanently. It was true, we both knew it. And we are both afraid.

I clenched my fists and eyelids together, trying to stifle the sobs coming from my throat and the tears streaming from my eyes. But they just won’t stop. They never did before, once they decided to start.

_I’m sorry Annie, I guess I still can’t stop those tears…._

* * *

 

_The bell rang and the whole second year class rushed out of the classroom. I ran out the front and waited for her, and she appeared, golden locks bouncing._

_“Hey Annie, what should we play today?”_

_Oh! I know I know, we can play Code Lyoko! I’ll be Yumi!”_

_“Then I’ll be Ulrich!”_

_Excitedly planning out our makeshift adventures, I ran to the playground with Annie, picking up a stick in the process which I excitedly swung around, pretending that it is a katana. Annie tied a bundle of leaves together and held it as a fan. The two of us jumped around, pretending that the various rocks and bushes were monsters that we would try to de-virtualize. Then we fell into a laughing fit when Annie’s makeshift fan hit the rock and scattered into a million pieces._

_Settling down on a bench, we rummaged through our knapsacks for our lunches. I eagerly pulled out the paper bag which held my hot dog and milk, feeling hungry from all the running around and swinging the stick._

_I took a total of one bite before a scathing voice came up:_

_“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little bastard his girlfriend!” Brad, a third year with dark brown hair walked up to him. I stood up, shaking in rage._

_“You shut your mouth! She’s not my girlfriend, and I am not a bastard!”_

_“Well where’s your father? I have a father that tells me stories every night, and tucks me to bed. What about you? Ohhhh, he must not love you, right! In fact, I think he hates you! I would hate you!” Brad’s smile got increasingly nasty as he twisted each word in._

_“That’s not true! Mom told me that he just has to work in T… Tokyo! He loves me and Mom!”_

_“Your Mom lied.” Brad deadpanned right before swinging his right hand into my face. My head snapped back and I felt the hot dog being grabbed from my hands. Another kick followed to my stomach, and I fell back, tripping over the bench and crashing to the ground. I saw Annie stand up but Brad merely gave her a hard shove and she fell back onto the bench._

_Brad took a bite out of my hot dog and leered at me. “Your mum lied, you’ve got no real dad, and nobody wants you around. Get lost.” With that, he spun on his heels and strutted away, while I lay on the floor, feeling the tears in my eyes._

_“Caius?”_

_I stifled a half-formed sob, and looked up at where Annie was still sitting. She was holding out half her peanut butter and jelly sandwich to me, a small sad smile on her face._

_“I still want you around. You’re my best friend. And don’t cry. It makes me sad when you cry.”_

_I smiled at that, and reached out for the offered sandwich while sitting up._

_“Th-thank you Annie… And I won’t cry…”_

* * *

 

 My eyes snapped open, bringing me back to the present. Watanabe was standing next to the table, smile on his face.

“Well my friend, a bit of fine tuning needs to be done. Apparently we can’t let you die before the Persona isolation is complete, so we might just have to redo this multiple times until we obtain the optimal settings.”

His smile widened. I groaned. Chicot remained silent.

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: ???   Wind: ???  Thunder: ???  Light: ???  Darkness: ???

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

???

???

???

               


	5. Chapter 5

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

I screamed, arching my body upwards in agony, my human screams mixing with Chicot’s monstrous screeching.

_I sat on the bench, head bowed and eyes closed, Annie’s presence at my side providing reassurance. Taking another bite at my hot dog, I ignored Brad’s ranting with all my might. His words hurt, like always, but I was doing my best to ignore him._

_“Nobody wants you, nobody needs you, you bastard! Even your own daddy doesn’t like you. He hates you and your mommy! You hear me?” Getting increasingly irate, he runs forward and grabs me by the collar, lifting me up to face him. “Your daddy hates you and your mommy! HE HATES YOU!!!” Ignoring his increasingly angry statements, I closed my eyes and turned my face to a side._

_“There they are! Let’s hurry Ms. Gould!” Annie has run off to get a teacher once Brad grabbed me, and I hear her voice drawing near, accompanied with the concerned voice of a teacher. Brat’s head snapped over._

_“Tch. Loser.” Throwing that last feeble insult at me, Brad shoved me so I tripped backwards over the bench and fell over. Immediately after that, he bolted, with Ms. Gould on his heels. Annie stopped by my side. I looked up at her and cracked a small smile._

_“I didn’t cry.”_

_“No, you didn’t.” Annie offered a hand and helped me up._

The surge of energy flowed through me once more, seeking to rip Chicot out of my head. He just lets himself get pulled out now, for what is the purpose in resisting anymore? Our screams mingled in the hue of the artificial Dark Hour until the Lab Coats see fit to grant us respite.

_I waved goodbye to Annie at my front door. Slightly skipping, I bounced in front of Mom, wide smile on my face._

_“Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…..”_

_Slightly shaking her head so that the golden locks won’t obscure her face, she looked up at me, smiling at my little chant. She seemed a bit reserved, for some reason, but that was unnoticed by the younger me._

_“What is it, honey?”_

_“I ignored Brad today! And Ms. Gould finally caught him! He got detention!”_

_Mom clucked her tongue in slight disapproval, but the amusement coming from her eyes gave away her actual thoughts, “Caius, you should never take delight in another’s suffering. But still, I’m glad that the problem with Brad is over. Annie helped you, right?”_

_“Yes!”_

_“Well, did you thank her?”_

_“Yes, of course!”_

_“That’s good, you have a lot to thank her for…” Mom suddenly looked off into the distance, seemingly deep in thought. “Caius… I have something to tell you… We would be moving to Japan after the summer vacation.”_

_“Huh?” The news was so sudden that I paused._

_Sensing my unease, Mom walked towards me and embraced me, whispering into my ear: “Daddy has had a promotion in his company, and he will need to stay in Japan more often. You want to see Daddy more right? We’ll be living with Daddy in this nice city named Tatsumi Port Island. You’ll make a lot of friends, I’m sure of it….” Her comforting words ran over me, but did nothing to dispel the one thought on my mind at that moment:_

_I have to say goodbye to Annie._

Has it been days, months, or years since I’ve been imprisoned in this place? Prometheus, at least, had an idea of how much time has passed since the eagle only at his liver once a day. But in my case, only the Lab Coats know how much time there is between each separate “session”. It suddenly occurred to me that I was comparing myself to Prometheus while being tortured in the hand of Project Prometheus. It might have drawn out a snicker before, but I’m just too tired now….

_I stood in front of Annie at our front door. She has come to see me off before our car ride to the airport. I stepped in and hugged her, a gesture she returned._

_“We’re still friends, right?” I asked, almost choking up._

_“Yes, no matter how far we are, we’re still friends…” Annie answered, her voice similarly muffled._

_I stepped back, and closed my eyes tight to stop the tears. Once I was sure that they won’t come out, I forced out a bright smile._

_“I promised that I won’t cry, so I won’t…. And Mommy said it’s good if we part with a bright smile!” I declared to Annie. She dabbed her eyes with her sleeve and forced out a smile at me as well. Despite her sadness, it was a beautiful smile coming out from between her golden bangs._

_“That’s right. We should smile, because we are friends. Goodbye Caius.”_

_“Goodbye Annie.”_

_I was still waving from the backseat long after she was out of eyesight._

I haven’t heard from Chicot in a long time. If not for his presence in the back of my head I would’ve thought that he was gone. That, and he keeps getting forcibly pulled from my head every now and then. I would be concerned, but I’m not really in the state to be capable of being concerned. I feel the edge gnawing at me. Whether if it’s the edge of my life, or the edge of my sanity, I cannot tell…

The Lab Coat threw the switch. My body tensed up and I screamed, with Chicot soon joining in.

* * *

 

“Wake up, Caius.” A vaguely familiar, sing-song voice commanded.I grumbled unwillingly. _Just let me rest… I think I earned it._

“Get up, Caius. You need to get up.” The same voice commanded, firmer this time. I turned to my side and tried to block the voice out.

“If you don’t get up now I won’t play with you…” The voice teased. _Who in the world uses that threat anymore?_ Intrigued, I cracked an eye open to look at whoever was talking. Annie’s face smiled brightly at me, still in her second-grade self and holding out half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich towards me. She bounced a bit impatiently from the bench she was sitting on.

Blinking, I looked at myself and around. I was still bound tight by the leather straps and straitjacket, and was lying flat on my back as if I just tripped backwards on the bench. All around us the playground was enclosed in a thick fog, with the silhouettes of trees and swings in the background. A light, impatient cough brought my attention back to the small girl sitting in front of me.

“C’mon Caius, don’t you think you’ve laid down long enough already? Just get up and play! You’ve always gotten up after Brad pushed you down, right?” Annie whined, while still holding out the sandwich. I chuckled softly at the naivety of her thoughts.

“Sorry Annie, but I doubt what Brad did could compare with what these guys are doing. I’m tired, so tired. Perhaps I just need to rest…” I turned my head away from her, ready to shut my eyes again.

“But you can’t give up! You just have to stand up to them Caius! For Chicot!” My eyes jerked wide open at her mentioning Chicot’s name. I slowly turned my face towards her.

“How did you know about Chicot?” Annie cheerfully pointed at somewhere behind me. Twisting around, I saw a familiar silhouette. It wore the unmistakable motley, held a giant cross in one hand, and a mask in the other. It was Chicot, but his back was turned. He was shambling like a zombie, slowly away from me, slowly further into the fog.

“He’s really sad you know. And he’s growing more distant. If you don’t do something, he might leave you. Like you did to me.” Annie remarked sadly. Noticing my pained expression, she quickly added: “Not that I’m blaming you for that! It was nobody’s fault, in that age neither of us could have done anything about it. But now it’s different right? You’re all grown up now, so you could do something about it, right?”

I looked hopelessly at Chicot’s fading silhouette. “How? I’ve tried, but I can’t break free of these bonds, and I can’t summon Chicot without my evoker. As of now, I’m pretty much helpless…”

Fixing me with a firm gaze, Annie gestured behind her back. “That’s why you have other friends you can learn from. They’re a bit distant now, but you were always carrying them around with you. See? They’re right there.”

Craning my neck, I looked forwards to where Annie was gesturing, and saw more silhouettes from the fog. As they slowly came into focus, I made out four figures. Three of them were together under a tree. The middle one was standing up, stretching out his limbs and occasionally fiddling with the revolver on his waist, while the other two sat, one typing furiously into a laptop, and the other absentmindedly sketching. A lump raised up in my throat.

_Strega…._

Turning my attention to the last silhouette, I found it walking around aimlessly on the playground, twirling a gun in his hand. He was dressed in a casual formal attire, with the most distinguishing part being the red tie around his neck. I squinted, trying to see him better. At that moment he turned and grinned in my direction.

_Adachi….._

“That’s your other friends, right? The ones you made after we said goodbye?” Annie asked. It was all I could do to nod silently. “Well there’s got to be one of them who can help you right? That’s what friends do.”

“But… but most of them are dead…. Or worse…” I whispered quietly. Annie giggled slightly.

“Being dead shouldn’t stop you from being friends! You see, I’m supposed to be half the world away from you, but I’m still helping you!” Annie turned around and gave a glance towards the other silhouettes, “Even if they’re unable to talk to you directly, they can still help! Think, Caius, which friend would help you to save Chicot now?”

By now all the shadows of my past friends have stopped what they were originally doing and were looking in my direction with expressions of care and concern. Everyone except Takaya, who was looking at me with a small grin. It was as if he was taunting me to do better, taunting me to provide and answer to my own problems.

 _Stupid, haughty, Takaya_. _Just looking at that smug face of yours makes me want to do better just so I can flaunt my victory in your face. Huh, I guess that was why you led our ragtag group… Because you could always pull out the best of us by hook or crook…._

Grinning a bit myself, I slowly sat up to face Annie. She was still holding out that sandwich towards me. Leaning forward, I took a large bite from it. Annie beamed.

The sandwich tasted just as good as it did twelve years ago…

* * *

 

I opened my eyes. The Lab Coats were scurrying around, tweaking various pieces of equipment and adjusting the wires and needles stuck in me. If that was any indication, they were going to perform the procedure again. But there was a certain tension in the air as the Lab Coats spoke with each other in tense, hushed voices. I caught snippets of “Kirijo”, “Shadow Operatives”, and “last chance”, but didn’t catch enough to make sense of anything.

But that wasn’t any of my concern. I closed my eyes and reached out to Chiciot.

 _‘Chicot….. Chicot…..”_ he wasn’t responding, and I don’t blame him. Our link has been stretched to its limit during our ordeal, and so have our bond. We are both scared of what might come, but now is the time to act. He just doesn’t know it yet.

 _‘Chicot, how long has it been since you’ve tasted human death?’_ He stirred a bit. I continued on, _‘It’s been a long time hasn’t it? Ever since our last contract together with Strega…’_

Chicot shifted more. He was intrigued, I can tell.

 _‘You want to kill all these Lab Coats and Watanabe right? So do I, and I have an idea that might actually work. If it works we’ll be bathing in their blood. So are you in?’_ By now, Chicot was listening intently. His excitement was barely concealable.

_‘I’m in, but how? How?’_

_‘Remember Takaya and Hypnos?’_ Chicot understood immediately.

_‘Would it work?’_

_‘Let’s try it out.’_

Taking a deep breath, I focused inwards and concentrated my energy in my mind. Chicot was doing the same, inching his way around my head. As I pushed, I felt a growing pain in my head, like a migraine. Gritting my teeth, I pushed ahead, with Chicot doing the same.

Then I head the familiar sound of a switch being flicked, and the surge of energy raged its way through my head again. Only this time around, Chicot was working in that direction already and willingly allowed himself to be pulled out of the top of my head. My body spasmed, and I barely held back a scream.

Chicot spun around and slashed at me with a hand, ripping off the leather straps holding me on the bed. I fell off the bed, ripping off all the pins and needles stabbed into me. The pain subsided as I became disconnected from all the machinery surrounding me. Rolling onto my stomach, I shifted to a kneeling position. I shifted my arms and legs, still bound by the straitjacket, and lifted my face to greet the horrified gazes of the Lab Coats with a wide maniacal grin.

_‘Didn’t quite go as I planned, but all’s well that ends well.’_

_‘Less talking, more killing.’_ Chicot haven’t materialized in quite a while and is practically itching for action. Having his tormentors as his targets only made him more eager, and for once I was ready of indulge him.

“Chicot, **Evil Smile**.”

Chicot’s grin grew even wider as smoky purple tendrils snaked out from behind him and surged towards the Lab Coats. Their reaction was profound, with a few of them collapsing, wide-eyed and whimpering, a few others clutching their heads and screaming, and a few more simply standing there and started foaming around the mouth. I kneeled where I was, a tranquil smile on my face while I beheld the spectacle in front of me. I was vaguely aware that before the torture I would have found this sight distasteful.

 _‘Imprisonment and torture sure does change a man.’_ I remarked matter-of-factly to Chicot.

 _‘That it does.’_ Chicot’s voice was almost smug. I waited until I’ve bored of the cacophony of fear, and gave the follow up command.

“Put them out of their misery Chicot. **Ghastly Wail**. And kindly untie me after you’re done.”

Chicot threw his head back and unleashed a loud, piercing scream. As I heard the sound, it felt as though a slight chill has sliced several times through me. It seemed the same for the Lab Coats, only a lot more literal. The room was silent and the floor was soaking wet by the time it was over. Turning around, Chicot slashed at the bindings that held my arm in place before dematerializing. I fell forward and cushioned my fall with my arms. While waiting for blood to flow again within my arms, I observed with interest the scarlet liquid pooling on the floor slowly stain my white straitjacket.

Finally able to feel my arms again, I hoisted myself into sitting position and untied my legs, stretching them out to get the blood flowing again. Standing up and looking around, I noticed a bit of movement out of the corner of my eye. Apparently one of the Lab Coats were spared the Fear effects, but judging by his quivering shape tucked under a desk, he’s pretty much at his limit on how afraid he can be.

Strolling over to him, I grabbed him by the collars and grinned cheerfully into his terrified face.

“Answer me three questions, or else I’m going to show you what I showed your colleagues, are we clear?” He nodded. “One, where is all my stuff? Two, how powerful is that Dark Hour simulator? Three, where is Watanabe?”

“W-Watanabe is in h-his office on the t-top floor. I-it’s the only room on t-that floor. The s-simulator i-is covering the w-whole building, W-Watanbe’s special orders for ‘g-guests’. I w-will bring you your b-belongings.” The Lab Coat was almost wetting himself under my gaze. I let go of his collar and gestured for him to lead the way.

 _‘He mentioned ‘guests’. Who are these ‘guests’?’_ Chicot asked me.

 _‘Ask Watanabe. But if he needs the Dark Hour for this, it would most likely be the rest of Project Prometheus. So perhaps we can get them all in one fell swoop.’_ My grin widened, and Chicot cackled in the back of my head.

The Lab Coat scurried towards the back of the lab and returned with a bundle of objects. Taking it from them, I found my Lupara, all my normal and customized shells, my evoker with its holster, and my Barbaric Bracers. Strapping everything on, I loaded two shells into my gun and tested out my evoker.

Chicot briefly materialized, crackling before he disappeared again. I frowned slightly.

_‘That’s weird. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.’_

_‘Summoning me? Of course it won’t. Compared to the crap we’ve been pulled through, I’d be surprised you still felt that little sting from the evoker.’_

Nodding my head in agreement, I pointed my gun at the Lab Coat and pulled the trigger. Turning away from the mess I made, I walked towards the elevator.

_Watanabe…. When I get my hands on you, you would wish that you had died at the hands of those Shadows…._

* * *

 

As I rode the elevator (which thankfully still operated) up to the top floor, I felt slight tremors through the ground. Chicot shifted in my mind.

_‘I feel other Personas. Many of them, and they’re fighting something.’_

_‘Other Personas? Are you sure? You’re no Medea….’_

_‘I’m not. But that’s what it feels like. Call it intuition if you will.’_

_‘Hmmm….’_

Pondering Chicot’s words, the elevator doors opened. Several coffins stand upright in the hallway, with a big door on the end. The nameplate read “Watanabe”. All thoughts of other Personas were wiped from my mind as I saw these words. A red haze covered my vision as I approached the door. Lifting a foot, I kicked the doors open.

The first thing that I saw was a huge desk facing the door. Behind the desk was a chair facing away from the desk, the tip of a head peeking out from the top of the chair back.  The doors closed behind me, and Watanabe’s oily voice came out from behind the chair:

“Welcome, Kirijo. I must admit, although I did expect you to defeat my Shadow Guards, I never did expect you to get here so fast. I applaud the might of your Shadow Operatives.”

 _He thinks that I’m someone else! He never even accounted for the possibility that I would escape!_ I was so shocked that I didn’t even bother to correct him. Watanabe just continued his speech.

“I’m afraid you’re a bit too late for the captured Persona user. He should either be separated from his Persona or dead by now. My personal orders. But still, I’m a bit too valuable for you to kill, yes? So I surrender unconditionally and turn myself over to your custody. What say you, Kirijo?”

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” I just couldn’t take it anymore, and burst out in insane laughter. The last laugh came out as a wheeze as I ran out of breath, but I kept shaking with laughter, holding my sides as I gasped for air.

I heard Watanabe do a double-take, then his chair swiveling around. Lifting my head, I savored his expression of terror.

“Remember me, Watanabe?”

“B-but…. You…. You should be dead!” Watanabe managed to splutter out.

“And I’m back. I’m bored with your voice. Let’s just end this.” Whipping out the evoker, I pointed it at my temple and pulled the trigger. “Chicot, **Evil Smile**.”

As the smoky tendrils pierced him, Watanabe let out a long, drawn out scream of fear and collapsed. I slowly approached his screaming figure, holstering my evoker and lifting my Lupara.

 _‘What are you waiting for? Let me follow up!’_ Chicot urged in my head.

 _‘He’s mine.’_ With that simple response, I stepped in front of Watanabe. He fell back, trying to push away from me the same way he tried to crawl away from the Shadows the first time I saw him. Déjà vu again, only this time from a different perspective…

Lunging forwards, I jammed the barrel into Watanabe’s screaming mouth and pulled down both triggers. The result resembled fireworks.

Wiping the slick liquid from my eyes, I let out a long sigh of satisfaction as I felt Chicot do the same. _Revenge is so, so sweet…._

I heard the door being kicked open from behind me a second time, rudely pulling me back to reality. A strong, female voice rang out:

“Watanabe! In the name of the Shadow Operatives, you are hereby arres-” The speech was abruptly cut short by a sharp gasp.

Slowly turning my head around, I saw a tall, beautiful woman with long, red hair and an air of authority about her. She was wearing a cat suit with a fur coat draped over. In her right hand she held a long, elegant rapier, while an evoker hang holstered on her left thigh. Slightly behind her was a short young man wearing a blue cap and pea coat. Clutched in his hands was a revolver, and I can see a bulge on his pea coat implying a shoulder holster with either another gun or an evoker. My bet’s on the latter.

Both newcomers were surveying the scene of my carnage with shock and revulsion. I rolled my eyes and turned to face them.

_And so here comes more trouble… Is there any moment of joy they won’t intrude upon…?_

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: ???   Wind: ???  Thunder: ???  Light: ???  Darkness: ???

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

???


	6. Chapter 6

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

The two newcomers glanced around at the bloody scene around me, and started glaring at me. I lifted a hand in a placating manner.

“Wait a minute, I can explain-” stopping myself midsentence, I glanced around the room. A glass window caught my eye, reflecting my image. I stood in the middle of the room, the loose straps of my straitjacket slightly flowing around me. Spots of crimson stained the white straitjacket, while my slightly crazed eyes stared out of the glass. Behind me, the bloody mass that used to be Watanabe lay on the ground.

 _‘Hehehe, good luck talking yourself out of this one…’_ Chicot snickered at the back of my mind. I mentally grinned in agreement. Turning to face the two other Persona users, I shrugged nonchalantly while my hand drifted towards my evoker holster.

“You know what? I know I’m not going to talk my way out of this, so why don’t we skip the pleasantries and go directly to the part where we try to kill each other?” As soon as I finished my sentence, my hand grabbed the evoker and whipped it up firmly against my chin. My opponents reacted just as fast, with both Red-head and Blue Cap pressing their evokers against their temples just as I’m about to pull the trigger of mine.

“Chicot, **Mabufudyne**!”

“Yamato-Sumeragi, **Heat Riser**!”

“Artemisia, **Bufudyne**!”

The room was illuminated by three summoning auras as the three Personas busted out of their respective owners. Blue Cap’s Persona – a thin figure wearing a military uniform with a beak-like helmet, a strangely shaped cape, and flowing golden hair- swung its saber around and pointed its hand towards Red-head, who was engulfed in a stream of light. Red-head’s Persona- a masked lady with an iron dress wielding a thorn whip- snapped the whip and sent a blast of icy wind towards me. At the same time, Chicot cackled madly as a giant icy whirlwind emerged from him and swept at the two other Persona-users.

Red-head’s bufu spell washed over me with no effect. I grinned to myself, silently thanking Chicot for his ice immunity. Unfortunately, he can hear my thoughts.

 _‘The cold never bothered me anyway…’_ I shuddered a bit at his comment, goose bumps raising up my arm.        

_‘Never, ever sing that. EVER. Ugh, the last thing I need is to connect you with Elsa. Ugh…’_

_‘Hahaha… Okay, but you should pay attention to the fight.’_

The conversation seemed long, but the actual exchange barely took a second due to us sharing thoughts. Focusing my attention back on the fight, I saw that Blue Cap has been knocked back by the bufu spell, a thick layer of frost forming over his body. No such luck with Red-head though, who apparently absorbed the ice.

_‘Tch, ice absorption huh? I guess it’s up to you then, Caius.’_

Taking a graceful step forward, Red-head lunged with her rapier. Raising my gun, I barely blocked the strike with the butt of my Lupara. Three more swift stabs followed, with me almost stumbling over myself to parry all of them. After the third parry I managed to swing my gun around and unloaded both buck shots in her direction. Red-head simply did a split and ducked under it, but the shot was enough distraction for me to execute a back-flip away from her, putting a good 2 meters between us.

 _‘Dam, she’s fast! And I have Angelic Grace AND a set of Barbaric Bracers!’_ I was breathing heavily as I eyed my opponent wearily.

_‘Caius, she’s still on the effects of Blue Cap’s Heat Riser! And maybe she’s just a lot better than you...’_

_‘The first part was enough, thank you very much Chicot. You don’t have to rub it in.’_ But I still made a mental note to work out more, since it’s pretty obvious that I’m out of shape.

Red-head raised her rapier and lunged once more. Backing up as fast as I could, I grabbed my evoker and shot myself in the gut, due to not having enough time to lift it up to my head.

“ **Jester’s Privileges**!”

Red-head’s eyes widened as Chicot materialized behind me and waved his hands wildly. Feeling my body suddenly become lighter while my opponent slowed down, I stepped to one side, easily evading the lunge. Mentally grumbling about the fact that my gun is empty, I settled for ramming the butt into her face. I watched in grim satisfaction as she tumbled back a good few meters and slammed into a wall.

_*bam* *bam* *bam* *bam*_

Gunshots shook me out of my gloating. Ducking down, I felt one of the shots whizz right past my face. Reaching up to my face, I found that the shot had grazed my cheek. Apparently Blue Cap had recovered from the bufu spell and is now emptying his revolver on me. I quickly rummaged in my belt for round and pulled out two rounds marked with red tape with black edges.

_Which ones were those again? Eh, whatever, no time for that…_

Quickly loading the rounds into the Lupara, I heard the distinct shattering sound of an evoker firing.

“Yamato-Sumeragi, **Agidyne**!”

I quickly dived behind cover as a huge blast of fire swept over the room. Before the inferno has completely subsided, I heard the same voice cry out again:

“ **Garudyne**!”

 _Fire and Wind skills? What the hell?_ The same time as those thoughts sprung from my mind, I summersaulted over the huge gust of wind that threw Watanabe’s office into further disarray. A second evoker firing was heard:

“Artemisia, **Diarahan**!”

 Whirling around on my heels, I saw Red-head stand up from where she had fallen, a healing aura gently brushing over her. Firing her evoker again, the healing aura washed over Blue Cap as well. He gave her a grateful glance.

“Thank you Kirijo-san.”

“Don’t mention it, Shirogane. Focus on the task on hand.” Kirijo, the red head, faced me in a balanced fencing stance. I could feel the chilling pressure coming off of her.

_‘Tch, a multi-elemental, and a healer who just happens to be immune to your element… This just gets better and better right?’_

_‘Hey, I evolved for Shadow fighting. It’s been a long time since I had to fight a fellow Persona.’_

_‘That’s no help Chicot…’_

While we were bickering, Kirijo pointed her rapier at me and summoned her Persona once more:

“ **Ice Break.** ” Suddenly I felt a lot more aware of the chill within the room. My ice immunity was gone.

_‘Well shit. Looks like holding back isn’t an option.’_

_‘Let’s face it Caius, you were pretty much scrambling around just to survive so far.’_

_‘Shut up Chicot.’_

Swiftly pulling out my evoker, I pointed it to my face. Before I could pull the trigger, Shirogane raised his revolver and started decking rounds out at my face. Back flipping out of harm’s way, I heard Red-head command her Persona once more.

“ **Mind Charge**.”

I could feel energy gathering around Red-head. This is not good. Ducking behind something that might’ve once been a desk, I pointed the barrel of the evoker at my chin and pulled the trigger.

“ **Evil Smile** ….”

Chicot sprang out and unleashed countless smoky tendrils at the two other Persona-users. Kirijo, being focused on charging up, got hit with a tendril. Immediately her shoulders sagged and she almost collapsed, catching herself at the last moment and barely holding herself up. Shirogane ducked and weaved for a bit, but eventually got hit by one tendril, also collapsing halfway. I got out of my hiding place, and rested the muzzle of my evoker on my temple.

“I’m impressed. Most people who got hit by that would’ve collapsed and become almost comatose until the effects wore off. But then again, most people aren’t Persona users.” I shrugged slightly and winked at them, my finger tightening on the trigger, “Nothing personal, but I really can’t risk you guys coming after me if I leave you like this. Chicot, **Ghastly Wail**.”

“A-an act of self-defense! **Shield of Justice**!” Somehow Shirogane managed to press his evoker against his stomach and pull the trigger, issuing his commands through chattering teeth. At a wave of the Persona’s hand, ethereal riot shields dropped down from nowhere in front of both Persona-users and blocked Ghastly Wail’s invisible slashes. I could only blink dumbly at the display.

_Can such a skill even exist?!_

By this time, Kirijo has managed to raise her evoker to her head and pull the trigger.

“ **Nifheim**!” A huge pillar of ice slammed into me and sent me flying across the room. My back slammed against the glass wall, knocking the wind out of me, and leaving deep cracks on the bullet-proof glass. Crumpling on the floor, I coughed out a mouthful of blood, blindly lifted my Lupara and pulled both triggers.

 **Maragion Gem**. Times two. Shielding my eyes as the blazing inferno shot out from my gun barrel and filled the room in front of me, I heard two shrieks. Opening my eyes again, I saw Kirijo crouching, breathing heavily while Shirogane stood in front of her, evoker pointed at his temple and revolver pointed at me. I could still see the effects of Fear in both of them.

“ **Mamudoon**!” Dark runes surrounded me and closed in. Smiling lazily, blood trickling down the corner of my mouth, I raised my evoker and summoned Chicot, casting **Ghastly Wail** once more and allowing the darkness spell to pass though harmlessly.

For Shirogane, however, things weren’t as easy. Hastily pulling the trigger again, he summoned the riot shields again to block the invisible slashes. I reloaded my Lupara, this time choosing shells marked with golden tape. Shirogane eyed me warily as I slowly struggled back to my feet, his shoulders lifted and fell with his heavy breathing. I could see it in his eyes. Exhaustion. It seems that the “Shield of Justice” that he keeps using is quite taxing. Everything has a breaking point, and he’s nearing his. 

As I pointed the evoker to my temple again, ready to finish it, a stream of liquid flew into the air from somewhere behind Shirogane, falling and completely drenching him. Both of us looked behind him in bewilderment, and saw Kirijo on her feet, panting, with an empty bottle of Amrita Soda clutched in her left hand. I noticed that no trace of Fear was in her, and the same with Shirogane.

“I am in you debt again Kirijo-san…” Shirogane muttered, still trying to catch her breath. Kirijo gave a small smile- she can actually smile?!- and stepped in front of Shirogane, taking up a fencing stance.

“Take a breather Shirogane. I’m in your debt as well.”

 _‘She must’ve drank half the bottle and flung the rest onto Shirogane! Shit, this is bad…’_ Chicot was blissfully silent while I ranted. He seems to understand that I  really can’t afford to be distracted now.

Pulling down the trigger to the evoker, I focused my energy on Shirogane and summoned Chicot once more.

“ **Bufudyne**!”

Without paying any attention to whether the spell hit or not, I turned my attention to Kirijo, who similarly had her evoker out and at her temple.

“ **Jester’s Privileges**!”

“ **Nifheim**!”

Just as Chicot boosted me up, the massive ice pillar also surged towards me. Holding my Lupara in front of me horizontally, I braced for impact.

The ice pillar crashed into me, but shattered into a thousand pieces. The damage it did was comparable to whacking an elephant with a couple of marshmallows. I blinked for a second before I understood what had just happened.

 _‘It seems like the ice immunity is back on.’_ Chicot almost cheered.

_‘So you do care about me. I’m touched…’_

Brushing away the leftover ice shards that were obscuring my sight, I barely managed to bring my Lupara up fast enough to parry Kirijo’s lunge. She quickly followed up with three more strikes, but without the element of surprise and hindered by Jester’s Privileges, None of her blows managed to make contact. Stepping into range, I swung the Lupara down and rammed the stock down on the top of her head. I then followed up with a round kick to her leg. Kirijo dropped down on one knee as one of her legs gave way, numb from my kick. Grinning manically, I stepped in for the kill.

“ **Agidyne**!” Shirogane was on his feet, breathing heavily and slumped against a wall for support. A thick layer of frost on his pea-coat indicated that my earlier bufu spell has found its mark.

I felt the heat of fire before my body was yanked back involuntarily, doing a backflip away from the blast of fire. It must have been Chicot. Knowing that by itself my body was past its limit, I relaxed all my muscles and allowed Angelic Grace to take over, ducking and side-stepping around two more Agidyne spells. As I dodged the second spell, I landed heavily on my feet, and collapsed as a jolt of pain shot through my ribs. I half knelt on the floor, coughing up blood.

_Dam… must’ve broken a rib or two when I got slammed into a wall by Nifheim…._

As I crouched, retching blood and cursing my fate, golden runes suddenly raise from the floor and trapped me in their midst. Looking up through the runes, I saw Shirogane smirking at me, his Persona fading back into the sea of souls.

 “You smug little son of a-” My sentence was cut short by the Hamon spell taking effect. I grit my teeth as the spell burned its course through me. A wave of fatigue washed over me as the spell dissipated, but I propped myself up with one hand.

“ **Survive Light**.” I hissed between my teeth. Shirogane was no longer smirking, a worried expression entering his face. Lifting my Lupara so that the barrels pointed towards the ceiling, I unloaded both barrels at once.

 **Megido Gem**. Times two again. I saw both Kirijo and Shirogane’s panicked face lighted up by the gathering almighty energy. It seems that they are pretty much on the end of their line as well. Two Megidos should finish the job. Unable to hold myself in, I started laughing.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!”  A spike of pain cut through my last laugh as my ribs flared up painfully, forcing me to double over in pain. As I gasped for breath, specks of blood flying from my lips, I saw Shirogane stand up with a firm look in his eyes. His summoning aura blended in nicely with the light of almighty energy.

“Justice is mine! **Shield of Justice**!”

_What!?_

Once again, ethereal riot shields dropped from the sky and stood in front of Kirijo and Shiragane right before the blast of energy blinded me. Somewhere within the blinding light, I heard a sharp scream of pain. Once the energy subsided, I saw Kirijo half kneeling just where she was before the blast, blinking in slight confusion. Shirogane, however, lay in a trembling heap, his head in his hands. Persona fatigue. He’ll need a few days bed rest before he’s fit for action again.

 _‘One down, one to go…’_ I remarked wearily to Chicot as I struggled to get up.

_‘Are you sure you should continue fighting? You can barely stand.’_

_‘We’re already balls deep in this shit hole. We can’t back up now.’_

Finding my footing, I lurched to my feet while fumbling my pockets for more rounds. A sudden bout of vertigo hit me as I stood up, most likely because I stood up too fast. I stumbled back, but the combination of vertigo, prior blood loss, and a potentially broken rib started to catch up on me. As I felt myself lose balance and saw the floor rushing up to meet me, I cursed under my breath.

_What a way to go….._

* * *

 

I woke up in a bed. Unsurprisingly, my Barbaric Bracers, Lupara, evoker and shotgun rounds are gone. Surprisingly, I wasn’t tied down to the bed. Even more surprisingly, I saw Kirijo, dressed in a shirt and dress, and another man- tall and muscular with silver hair, a casual suit and leather gloves- sitting by my bed. Reaching for Chicot, I inquired:

_‘Yo. What happened?’_

_‘Hell if I know. I was just as out cold as you were.’_

_‘Okay…. Well if things get ugly again, would I be able to call on you?’_

_‘Doubt it. Only worked last time cos the machine was yanking me out.’_

_‘Well crap. I guess I’ll just have to try talking my way out of this.’_

_‘Couldn’t you have done that earlier?’_

_‘Well, current circumstances are more favorable for negotiations than being found with a dead body.’_

_‘Guess so. And Caius, one thing I need to say to you while we’re still linked and living.’_

_‘Spit it Chicot.’_

_‘I told you so.’_ Chicot teased, referring to the moment when I swatted his concerns aside and tried to keep fighting, only to collapse due to vertigo. I shut him out completely, snorting under my breath.

My snort caught the attention of Kirijo and the man. Stepping forward, Kirijo stood in front of me and, after slightly coughing to get my attention, started speaking:

“My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, current head of the Kirijo Group and the Shadow Operatives.  This here” she gestured towards the man, “is my fiancée Akihiko Sanada. He’s also a Persona-user and a Shadow Operative. As a group, our objective is to combat any Shadow-related threat, be it natural or artificial. ”

 Folding her arms, Kirijo looked pointedly at me. “I know we didn’t meet on the best of terms, but judging by what our investigations on Watanabe and Project Prometheus, your massacre of all the central figures of the Tokyo branch, though excessive, is not entirely unreasonable.” The edge of her mouth pulled out a bit, showing her distaste at the idea. I snorted slightly.

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at that, but continued talking: “Right now we’re a bit more interested in who you are than what you’ve done. Who are you? Who do you work for? What is your purpose?”

 _‘Such old-fashioned interrogation techniques…’_ Chicot snarked at the back of my head.

_‘Well, we’ve got nothing to hide…’_

Clearing my throat a bit, I nodded to Mitsuru to indicate that I am ready to talk. Her face betrayed a flash of relief. Makes me wonder what bad interrogation memories she’s had before.

_Ah well, none of my business…_

“My purpose…. Well, to put it in the simplest terms possible, my purpose is a complete lack of purpose…” Both Mitsuru and Akihiko looked shocked at my statement, and I chuckled at their expressions. “Don’t act so surprised. Just because you people have a mission and a purpose, doesn’t mean there aren’t people like me who dedicate their lives to following their whims. Nothing’s wrong with either way of living.

“As for who I am and who I work for… Well, let’s just do a full introduction shall we? My name is Caius Gevauden, and I am the last known member of Strega.”

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ???  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	7. Chapter 7

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

As soon as I uttered the word “Strega”, the atmosphere suddenly tensed. I saw Mitsuru’s eyes widen and she half turned towards Akihiko.

Or, at least she tried to turn to where Akihiko was. Before I knew it, I was half-way lifted off the bed, nose-to-nose with the albino man, his gloved hands grabbing my collar so tight that I’m surprised that the fabric didn’t rip.

“Akihiko, calm down!” Mitsuru’s voice came from behind Akihiko, but the he ignored her. Instead, he stared at me with the utmost sense of hatred. I could almost hear his teeth grinding down.

“So… you’re with the bastards who killed Shinji….?” He spat. I frowned slightly.

_‘Chicot, did we ever kill a ‘Shinji’ in any of our contracts with the rest of Strega?’_

_‘Beats me. We’ve never kept a record have we?’_

_‘Uh-huh… perhaps mentioning Strega wasn’t the best idea…’_

_‘Oh, now you notice?’_

While I was talking with Chicot, Akihiko had lost his patience and lifted me up a bit further, most likely in preparation to slam me into a wall or something. A hand suddenly shot out from the side and grabbed Akihiko’s arms. Mitsuru was standing to a side, glaring at Akihiko. Under her cold gaze, the man took a deep breath and loosened his grip on me, allowing me to fall back onto my bed.

Rubbing my neck a bit, I started chuckling to myself. Both of my interrogators shot me a look that was both questioning and threatening. I directed my attention towards Akihiko.

“Dude, you are so whipped…” Chicot cackled, and Akihiko seemed ready to blow up. I raised both hands to signal that I mean no harm.

“Okay, okay, tough guy. No more jokes. But still… I don’t really remember a ‘Shinji’ anywhere… can you give a description or something?”

“How can you not remember Shinj-” The man started angrily, but Mitsuru quickly cut him off with a wave of her hand.

  “Tall, pale, red pea-coat with a beanie. Killed by Takaya. Rings a bell?”

“Killed by Takaya?” I chuckled under my breath, “Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?! Bastard always insisted on having the kill whenever we were on an elimination contract.” Ignoring the glare from Akihiko, I put a hand up to my chin, contemplating the question in earnest this time around.

_‘Red pea-coat. Tall. Pale. And a beanie. Did we ever kill anyone like that, Chicot?’_

_‘Umm… no, I don’t think so. Tall people? A lot. Beanies? A lot. Pale folks? You yourself pulled the trigger on three of those, not to mention all of those that we couldn’t steal from Takaya….’_

_‘Oh, yeah. He wasn’t happy about that, but he knew he couldn’t hog all the kills… But the pea-coat is a problem. Who still wears those anyway?’_

_‘Well, there’s Shirogane, whom we just fought. And isn’t there this one guy who we didn’t kill but supplied the suppressants to?’_

_‘Oh yeah…..’_

Snapping out of thought, I addressed Mitsuru and Akihiko:

“Well, I don’t think we ever killed such a person, at least not when I was still with the rest of them. But I do remember a guy that fits your description. Dude hung around the corner a lot, and bought Persona suppressants from us. Gotta say, as junkies go, he has a weird taste in drugs… Went by the name of Shinjiro Aragaki. Is he this ‘Shinji’ you were talking about?”

“Yes. He was killed by Strega three years ago.” Mitsuru answered as Akihiko turned his back on me.

“Oh… well that explains why I don’t remember killing him. Shame, I liked the guy….”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Mitsuru asked:

“You said ‘at least when I was still with the rest of them.’ What does that mean?”

I shrugged. “I branched out from the rest of Strega five years ago. There was a bit of an ideal difference between me and the rest of the group, so I decided to leave for Tokyo. We parted on good terms, and I’ve just been doing my own thing since then.”

“Ideal differences? What do you mean?”

“Nihilism and bloodlust is the simple answer. We were straying away from what Strega started out to be, and while it was all well and fine with the rest of them, I wasn’t prepared to expend my whole life in the span of a few years. If you don’t mind the long story, I can give you the more complete version of the answer.” Mitsuru nodded. I leaned forward and flipped my pillow around so that it was cool on my back.

“You see, Strega started out as a ragtag group of orphans trying to help each other. Three of them have been orphaned for a long time and have been under the care of the Kirijo Group.” I grinned at Mitsuru, who shifted uncomfortably, “The last was just an orphan who had discovered the power of Persona. Bonding over the loss of parents and their mysterious powers, the four formed a small gang and named themselves Strega, named after users of Pagan magic.

“Anyways, I assume you are familiar with the other members of Strega?” Looking up, I saw Kirijo nod in assent. “So basically, Strega started doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Given that we had access to the 25th hour, it was pretty easy to make a name for ourselves as people who can get shady business done without being caught. Soon, our IT guy Jin had set up our websites and we got all sorts of contracts. Mostly just contracts asking us to steal particular items or intimidate certain people. Occasionally we got an assassination contract, which means a little pay raise. Even more rarely, we get a Shadow extermination contract, and that’s when the cash started rolling. When we didn’t have contracts, we would just hang out in the Dark Hour and hunt for Shadows, claiming whatever parts that we can pawn later. Basically, we were family, and we looked after each other, whether we were in or out of battle.”

 _‘Ah yes, those were the good old’ days…’_ Chicot reminisced longingly. I silently nodded in assent. Akihiko still had his back to me, but his head was turned in my direction. Mitsuru looked visibly disturbed.

“Alas, that was not to last. Roughly 7 years ago, we saw the first signs of death in the three other members of Strega. Their bodies would not retain heat, their usage of suppressants peaked, and blood was often mixed in whatever bodily excrements they produced. To maintain their body temperatures, Jin and Chidori resorted to wearing thick layers of clothes at all times, while Takaya stubbornly insisted upon his wardrobe. Or lack of one.

“Soon after that, he discovered the ability to summon Hypnos without the aid of an evoker. Personas arise from a brush with death. An evoker is meant to simulate death and to forcibly pull out one’s Persona. For Takaya to be able to summon a Persona without an evoker…. We all know what that meant. He could’ve literally dropped dead at any second.

“Death is something that should only be brushed against at most. When a man constantly walks in the shadow of death, as Takaya did, it… changes him. Nihilism took possession of Takaya’s mind, and he began to accept more and more assassination contracts. Jin and Chidori weren’t as badly influenced, but they followed without question, and so did I. It wasn’t even that bad for a while…” At this point, Mitsuru and Akihiko were looking disturbed and disgusted. I chuckled and shrugged.

“What? You saw what I did to Watanabe and the scientists, and Mitsuru you personally witnessed me try to kill you and Shirogane. Obviously I have had quite a lot of experience committing homicide.” Akihiko’s fists clenched at that statement. I smiled and reached for the plastic pitcher of water that was sitting on the bedside table.

 _‘Oh ye of little faith…’_ cackled Chicot at the back of my head.

_‘People hear what they want to hear, and believe what they want to believe. They can’t really wrap their head around the fact that the man currently engaged in civilized conversation with them is one and the same as the man who would carve a path of blood through throngs of people.’_

_‘Oh, you always have a good reason for it…’_

_‘Does a fat paycheck count as a good reason?’_

_‘Eh, good enough.’_

Pouring myself a glass of water and downing it, I resumed my tale:

“Killing was… exhilarating, so to speak, so I went along for a bit. But Takaya’s bloodlust grew. He started accepting all kinds of assassination contracts, no matter how low the pay or how petty the cause. Before, we’d be lucky if we got one kill in half a year. Now, barely a week went by without a kill. It was always blamed on Apathy Syndrome, but what really happened was we would break the legs of the target, and then leave them far from their coffin during the Dark Hour

“Jin took it a step further and changed our website into a revenge site. For Takaya, killing became almost as vital as the suppressants, and he kept pressing the price of a kill lower and lower. It got to a point where it was slightly disturbing me. We were pretty much killing a man for just a few pennies at that point. Life is fragile, and often cheap, but we were definitely setting a record for the cheapest. And if I’m going to snuff out someone’s life, I usually want to be dam sure that I’m getting a hefty paycheck over it.

“So one day, 5 years ago, I just walked up to Takaya and told him that I won’t be killing so cheaply anymore. That while the three of them might expect to die early and thus want to enjoy life to the fullest, I still look forward to something resembling a long life. He simply smiled and told me that I could leave if I wanted to. And so I did, bringing with me a quarter of all our earnings. I relocated to Tokyo, found some cheap lodgings, and earned money by pawning whatever loot I can find on local Shadows. It was quite a nice income, and I didn’t need to kill anyone since I wasn’t accepting contracts from anyone. In fact, I even made a habit of saving the random passerby from Shadow attacks, even if it’s just to slam their coffin lids shut again.

“Thus I spent the last 5 years. Then I happened to make the bad decision of saving a man named Watanabe….. Well, you know what happened next.” Pouring myself another cup of water, I finished my story with a cheerful grin at my audience, who were both staring at me with mixed expression of sympathy and disgust. I leaned back on my pillow and sighed as I felt the pressure that seemed to surround my soul dissipate a bit. Mitsuru quickly recovered and quickly excused herself and her fiancée.

“Oh, you must be extremely exhausted from your ordeal at the hands of Project Prometheus. I’m sorry for keeping you up for so long. We’ll give you some time now. Please rest.”

The two Persona-users walked out of my room. I heard the lock click behind them. Turning my head towards the window, I saw metal bars affixed to the window frame. This hospital was made to also act as a prison. Slightly shrugging to myself, I closed my eyes and leaned back.

_‘They can detain me if they like. I’ve got nothing to hide, and there’s no way they can actual accuse me in court of murders committed 5 years past.’_

_‘And plus, didn’t most of those people who fell into Apathy Syndrome recover from it? A great amount of our targets must’ve been among them.’_

_‘They did?’_

_‘Wow Caius, it was all over the newspaper three years ago. That was one crazy year for Tatsumi Port Island…._

_‘Oh yeah… Wait, wasn’t that also the year when Strega appeared on the newspapers, and the whole world was hit by a bout of amnesia? The one in which only we recovered from?’_

_‘I doubt it was simple amnesia, since even physical evidence was wiped out. Perhaps the Shadow Operatives have something to do with it? After all, they seem to have fought Strega before…’_

_‘Eh, if it comes up we can ask Mitsuru. After all, I gave her my story. I think that it would be fair that I asked for hers sometime later…_

_‘About that, I didn’t expect you to tell them the whole story. You never did that, even when you were crap-ass drunk and rambling to Saito.’_

_‘Let’s face it Chicot. I like to talk, but have I ever had a good audience?’_

_‘Saitou. He would’ve listened. While you were drunk.’_

_‘But he wouldn’t have understood.’_

_‘No, he wouldn’t. Okay, I get it. Huh, while you might have landed in a butt load of trouble in meantime, I’m glad you met other Persona-users.’_

_‘If only I didn’t have to go though a few days of torture and a death fight against two Persona-users to get here.’_

_‘True… Now settle down. You need your rest.’_

_‘Yes, Mom.’_

Pulling my covers up to my chin, I moved a bit to settle comfortably in my bed. Despite my teasing, Chicot is right. I need the rest, and this bed feels really comfortable now…

My consciousness faded….

* * *

 

_I strained against my bindings while faceless shadows attached various pins and needles into my temples. Watanabe’s oily laugh rang in the background. Turning, I see his giant face affixed as a wall._

_“I-I killed you! You are nothing but bloody shreds!” I screamed before a bundle of cloth is forcibly stuffed into my mouth. Watanabe’s giant face just sneered._

_“I will always be there, Caius, because your Persona would eventually become mine…. You are not worthy of such power!” Once his sentence ended, I heard a familiar click of a switch. The familiar forced invaded my mind once again, grabbing Chicot and dragging him out by the leg. Desperately trying to stay in my mind, Chicot grabbed onto whatever was around, leaving deep bleeding gouges along the interior of my mind._

_I arched my back and screamed. Agony, agony like I’ve never known before. Agony that is both alien and familiar. Watanabe’s laugh rang out, and I grit my teeth in hatred while glaring at him with wide eyes._

_“I… I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you I’ll kill you I’ll kill you I’ll kill you I’ll kill you I’ll kill you kill you kill you kill you kill you kill you…………”I started a ghastly chant and faintly noticed as Chicot joined in. We were one, and we wanted blood._

_“Kill you kill you kill you kill you KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL…!!!”_

_The bindings tore off as I struggled. Snatching my Lupara off the table I jumped to my feet and rushed at Watanabe’s face with Chicot at my side._

_“KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL….!!!”_

_I unloaded both barrels into Watanabe’s face while Chicot released an icy blizzard._

_“I’LL KILL YOU!!!!!”_

_The bullets and the spell hit simultaneously. Watanabe’s face blew apart in a burst of blood and ice, revealing muscle and bone. But it was not dead. Opening its mouth wide, what remained of Watanabe’s face lunged towards me and Chicot._

_“Your Persona is MINE!!!!!!”_

_I screamed with horror as the dark maw swallowed me whole._

* * *

 

I sat straight up screaming. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a vaguely familiar shape dissipating into thin air. Trying to clear my head, I shook it slightly, only to see a much more disturbing sight at the other corner of the room.

Almost half the room was covered in a thick layer of ice. The visiting chair was laying on its side, encased in a thick block of ice. It resembled what happened every time Chicot missed with a bufu spell.

_That’s….._

Reaching in, I found Chicot in a stage of confusion and disarray. He was usually a lot more composed than this. But then again, this is hardly usual.

_‘Chicot?’_

_‘Yeah? Spit it.’_

_‘Well, this might be a stupid question, but did you somehow materialize and cast Bufudyne while I was asleep?’_ It was technically impossible, but I just had to make sure. I waited while Chicot remained silent, each passing second increasing my nervousness. Finally I couldn’t stand it.

_‘Well, yes or no?’_

_‘Y-yes. I’m not sure how, but once I woke up, I was already materialized. And I feel the residual ice magic on my hands. But I don’t recall ever casting that spell… But there’s nobody else…’_

Returning to the physical world, I looked at the disarray of my room and was silently thankful that it wasn’t a full Bufudyne spell. If it was, then half the room would be completely filled with a block of ice.

_But still, summoning a Persona and casting a spell during a bad dream? What in the world…_

I recalled the dream, and looked down at my hands. Sighing, I clutched my head in my hands, trying to make sense of the situation. Predictably, I failed.

_What in the world is happening to me?!_

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ???  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light


	8. Chapter 8

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

Morning came, and I sat up slowly rubbing my eyes. Looking around, the room looked normal. 

_Was yesterday night all a bad dream?_

_‘No. Definitely not.’_ Chicot spoke up. I felt a nudge in my head towards a corner of the room. Glancing at the direction, I saw a tiny patch of ice sublimating into nothingness. 

 _‘God dammit…’_ I reached back to Chicot. _‘Does this mean you’re going out of control?’_

_‘I don’t think so…. I don’t feel any more feral than I did before. And while I was talking to Hypnos, Moros, and Medea, they were pretty…. Murderous whenever they were off their meds…’_

_‘And you’re not?’_

_‘No. Not compared to them… The word people use to describe you and I would be ‘amoral’. We don’t mind a good kill, but we don’t actively crave it either. The uncontrolled Personas however….’_

_‘Would actively search out people to kill, including their wielders.’_

_‘Bingo. So as you can see, I’m far from losing control. Although what happened last night was disturbing, you don’t need to start using suppressants…. Yet.’_

_‘Yet….’_ I echoed dryly. Images of Takaya crouching in the corner of our shared apartment, coughing up blood while choking down his suppressants came to mind. Similar images of Jin and Chidori followed short. The first time the symptoms emerged was in our early teens. Takaya was downing his pills with a cup of water just like normal when he suddenly doubled over, vomiting blood all over the dining table. He eventually managed to stop the stream of blood long enough to choke down the suppressants, which temporarily stemmed the blood-flow. But the image of Takaya leaning forwards, vomiting blood onto the white tablecloth was forever seared into the minds of the members of Strega.

 _‘Cheer up.’_ Chicot prodded, his voice surprisingly soft. _‘You don’t need the suppressants. I’m a natural-born Persona, remember? You never went through all that crazy shit that the rest of Strega went through, right? Now now…”_ He was almost cooing at this point. I smiled warmly at his comforting tone, then mock shuddered.

_‘Ew. Can you gross me out more?’_

_‘You just had to ruin it, did you?’_ Chicot laughed warmly as he felt my nervous tension dissipate with the joke. Scratching the back of my head, I turned to my bedside table and started picking at the hospital breakfast someone kindly left for me.

* * *

 

_‘Tch… I can never get the hands right… how on earth did Chidori do this all the time?!’_

_‘Have you seen any of that girl’s drawings? None of them had hands- or anything vaguely human- in them.’_

_‘Not helping Chicot….’_ I frowned as I rubbed the eraser across the sketchpad, rubbing off the poor excuse of a hand which I had just finished drawing 5 seconds ago. There was a time when Chidori gave me a crash course on how to sketch, and I mildly enjoyed it. But it was soon overshadowed by video games and experimenting with custom made shotgun rounds.

However, I hated playing on someone else’s console, and I doubt a hospital would have anything related to making custom rounds. So I asked for a pencil and a sketchpad, and started sketching an image of Chicot. I had spent several hours just getting the motley right, and the fingers were proving to be quite a hassle as well…

 _‘Do you really have to hold your cross like that all the time?’_ I flicked a complaint towards Chicot, frustrated at my repeated failure.

_‘Do you really have to sketch me?’_

_‘Touché, Chicot. Touché.’_

Placing the sketchpad to the side, I stretched and glanced at the clock on the wall. 10:30 pm. I have spent the whole day and part of the night daydreaming and sketching, and somehow nobody has come for further interrogations despite me being pretty much detained in the hospital for murder and attempted murder. I don’t even know how my recent confession of all those contract kills would interfere with what’s going to happen to me.

A knock on the door got my attention, and a voice came in from the other side.

“Excuse me, may I come in?” It was Kirijo’s voice. I smirked.

“Can I say no? I mean, I’m practically in your custody.”

Kirijo opened the door and strolled in. “It’s just in my habit to ask. If you feel refreshed now, I would like you to come with me to a meeting.” I raised an eyebrow.

“You want me to accompany you? Might I remind you that I’m practically a captive in your hands, who have just recently tried to murder you?” Mitsuru glanced at me impatiently.

“The meeting has a lot to do with you and what your actions during our operations against Project Prometheus results in. I feel it only fair that you get a chance to defend yourself.”

“Oh, so this is a trial then? Very well.” As I threw the covers off, I frowned at the wrinkled hospital pajamas that I was wearing, and took a quick sniff at my armpits. “Whew! I reek. Perhaps I should clean up a bit before the trial? And plus, any chance you have something more…. presentable for me to wear?”

“I thought as much… the meeting is scheduled to start in 30 minutes. Take that time to clean up. I will have a set of clothes waiting for you.” Mitsuru turned and walked out, high heels clicking all the way. I stared at her direction for a short while, slightly dazed, then chuckled under my breath.

_Man, that Sanada is one lucky guy….._

Strolling towards the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and quickly undressed. Turning the temperature to as hot as it would go, I let out a deep sigh as the hot, slightly scalding water rushed over my head.

_‘Well Chicot? Any thoughts and suggestions on this?’_

_‘Don’t forget to scrub behind your ears.’_

_‘Really?’_ I rolled my eyes, exasperated.

_‘I mean, first you get caught red-handed after committing murder, then you tried to murder their leader, and then you confess to multiple other potential murders, while at the same time revealing that you’re affiliated with a group who apparently murdered their buddy. Can you screw yourself over more in their eyes?’_

_‘Hey, I didn’t know about the ‘murdering their buddy’ thing until I mentioned Strega. I liked the guy, remember? And what’s with you and the M-word?’_

_‘Because in their eyes, that’s what we are. Cold-blooded murderers. Keep that in mind while talking to them. And don’t forget to scrub behind your ears.’_

Grumbling to myself, I did as Chicot said. While slightly harsh, what Chicot said was true. In their eyes, I am nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer. Rolling my eyes, I applied more shampoo to my hair.

_This is such a goddam mess…_

After the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out of the bathroom, finding a hoodie and a pair of jeans on my bed. A pair of sneakers and socks were at the foot of the bed. Grinning to myself, I pulled on the offered clothes, which somehow managed to fit perfectly.

A knock on my door preceded Mitsuru’s voice: “Are you presentable?” Opening the door, I found her standing in the hallway with her arms crossed in front of her chest. I nodded, then shrugged.

“As presentable as I could be. Shall we then?”

“Let’s.” Mitsuru turned around and walked down the corridor, and I followed in her wake. Sensing a nudge from Chicot in my mind, I glanced at her left thigh. A holstered evoker hung there innocently.

_She’s not taking any chances. Smart girl…_

After going up a few floors and past several corridors, we stopped in front of a giant double door. As Mitsuru knocked on the door, I felt a sudden flash of nausea:

_The weight of the Lupara was heavy in my hand as I lifted a foot, aiming at the double door in front of me. The swirling straps of my straitjacket circling my leg as I tensed every muscle. The corners of my mouth lifted up in a maniacal grin as I-_

“Gevauden. Are you alright?” Mitsuru was holding the door half open while looking at me with a confused look in her eyes. I was sagging against a wall, breathing heavily as I held a hand up against my face. Within my mind, Chicot blinked and shook his head in a disorientated manner. Lifting my hand from my face, I noticed a small patch of frost sublimating in the middle of my palm.

 _What in the world… Dammit, I don’t have time for this shit right now..._  Rubbing my hand against my leg to get rid of the frost, I raised my head and nodded towards Mitsuru.

“Yeah, I’m fine. A short dizzy spell, that all.” Standing up and smoothing a hand through my hair, I straightened up and took a deep breath.

Mitsuru still looked somewhat troubled, but still pulled open the door and beckoned me in. Following her, I walked into what looked like an oversized lounge. Quite a lot of people sat in various sofas around a large tea table.

Glancing around, I recognized Akihiko and Shirogane, who was still looking a bit worse for wear. But everyone else was new to me. On one side of the table there was one guy with a cap and baseball jersey who was glaring at me, a woman with green hair, two girls who seemed to have prosthetics for all four limbs, and a woman with brown hair in a pink dress. Akihiko sat with them. On the other side there was Shirogane, a man with silver hair, another man with brown hair and headphones around his neck, a dark haired woman in a red jacket, a brunette in a police uniform, a tall man with black hair, glasses, and a scar on his scalp, and redhead wearing a somewhat revealing outfit. For some reason she and the brunette on the other side looked familiar….

Then it struck me, and my jaw went slack.

“Risette and Yukari Takeba are both part of my jury? Holy crap!” I blurted out right after regaining my cognitive functions. The two women who I just called out looked extremely shocked. I continued on:

“Sorry if I surprised you. It’s just that I’ve been listening to your songs Risette and I figured I liked them. And in your case Takeba-san I’m just impressed that you’re one of the few action show actors who actually do their action scenes personally. Most of them would just rely on stunt doubles….”

 _‘Caius?’_ Chicot’s voice was almost embarrassed.

_‘What?’_

_‘You’re fan-boying.’_

_‘No I’m…. well, maybe I am.’_ I concluded glumly. ‘ _And to think that I am usually the one keeping you in check….’_

_‘I am thou….. and thou art I….’_

_‘Don’t you even dare start that bullshit with me again Chicot._ ’ Slightly shrugging, I took a deep breath to regain my composure.

“I digress. I suppose since you’re all here staring at me, all of you are connected to Kirijo-san and are here to judge me? So shall we get on to business?” Taking a few steps forward, I took a seat on an empty armchair while Mitsuru walked to the other end of the table and sat down as well. Some of the assembled group still seemed to be recovering from the mood whiplash that they experienced. After a few seconds of awkward silent, Mitsuru decided to start:

“You are half right in your conjecture. This meeting is indeed, partially dedicated to figuring out what to do with you. But mostly we’d like to hear about what happened between you and Project Prometheus, since you are the only survivor of the Prometheus Project Tokyo Branch Massacre.” Mitsuru paused and looked at me with distaste. “You made quite sure of that. So now we need you to give us a detailed report concerning them and their motives.” I raised an eyebrow at that last statement.

“You mean you have absolutely no idea what they were up to? I remember Watanabe mentioning something about your company – Kirijo Corps, right? – providing funding for them. So I thought that as heiress of the corporation, you would have access to most of the info, right?”

“Unfortunately no. Project Prometheus was a mistake made by the previous generation, and one that I am determined to correct.” Mitsuru had a determined glint in her eyes as she said that. I smirked at her expression.

“Interesting…. So the heiress doesn’t have complete control over her empire…. Understandable, of course. I would’ve been surprised if the Kirijo Corps didn’t have its own factions within.” I rested my chin on my fist. “Well, I know what their motives are, and I do have firsthand experience with their methods. I suppose that it would be possible for me to share that with you people. But what’s in it for me?” I almost laughed out loud at all the incredulous and furious expressions that was on display around the table.

“Why you little--!” The man with a scar started rising out of his chair, but the dark haired girl grabbed his wrist and stopped him from rushing me, scolding him with a firm “Calm down Kanji.”

On the other side of the table, the dude with the baseball cap leapt on his feet and pointed his finger at me:

“You son-of-a-bitch Strega member! First you killed Shinjiro-sempai, Chidorita, and god-knows how many other people, and now you ask what’s in it for you to clean up your own mess?! How much of an asshole can you be?!?” I chuckled at his accusations, which only seem to aggravate him further.

“First things first, I did not kill Shinjiro or Chidori. I actually liked them both, and we were on quite good terms when I left Strega. And second, about all those people I killed on a contract, I’ve stopped doing that since 5 years ago. I’ll bet you that Chidori’s got twice the kill count as I do, and judging by your tone of voice she’s quite far within your good graces.

“And third, if you had just paid attention to what we just said, you’d know that we’re not cleaning up my mess.” I pointed towards Mitsuru who was sitting right across me. “We’re cleaning up hers.” Baseball Cap looked like he was about to explode, but Mitsuru glanced at him and issued a sharp command:

“Calm down Jumpei.” Jumpei sat down, still glowering at me. Leaning back a bit, Mitsuru redirected her attention to me, “I admit that this is my mess, but we need your help to start combating it. If whatever Project Prometheus is doing comes to fruition, it might have very bad implications for Japan. It is within your best interest to share your knowledge with us.”

 “Within my best interests?” I echoed mockingly. “I don’t really think so. You see, I’m a simple man, a simple mercenary. Someone offends me, I whack them, end of business. My business concerned only the Tokyo branch of Project Prometheus, and they’ve already paid off all their debts, along with interest. I’ve no reason to interfere with your quarrel against the rest of Project Prometheus.” Ignoring the startled looks from around the table, I leant back and folded my arms behind my head.

“And as for bad things happening to Japan, why should I be concerned? Judging by what Project Prometheus is working on, I think I have a pretty good chance of surviving whatever apocalypse they bring about, provided that I’m not directly within their crosshairs. I already have a nice scapegoat for the destruction of the Tokyo branch, namely your Shadow Operatives. Why should I draw more attention to myself?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kanji, Jumpei, the police girl and the headphone clad brunette almost quiver with anger. One of the prosthetics girl, one with long flowing silver hair and bright red eyes blurted out:

“Now ya can’t be serious! How can ya not care about folks dyin’ left right an’ center! Cos that’s what’s gonna happen if Project Prometheus wins! I don’ care who you think you are, but what ya sayin ain’t gonna cut it!” As her tirade went on, she walked closer, almost shoving her face into mine. I noticed that there was something special about the texture of her face…

 _‘She’s not human.’_ Chicot piped up. _‘Her facial skin texture isn’t organic.’_

_‘So she’s an android or something?’_

_‘Dunno. But she’s not a girl with a lot of prosthetics as you had thought, but something more… man-made.’_

_‘So the other one….’_

_‘Might be the same thing.’_

“Hey, watcha doin’, lookin’ at me with that dazed out expression of yours? Listen to me while I’m talkin’ dammit! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS COMIN’ OUTTA MY MOUTH???!!!!” Snapping back to attention, I saw the robot girl looking practically livid. I also noticed that she was holding a giant battleax that she somehow conjured up. I smiled and lifted up both my hands in an official sign of surrender.

“Sorry about spacing out. I just noticed that you are not exactly human in the biological sense. And here I was thinking that you just had advanced prosthetics… But I digress. You accused me of not caring if I saw people dying all the time, and that makes me a bad person. Might I remind you that I practically spent my early teen years in such an environment? You’ve never checked out the Strega hit-list on our website, right? By the end of my stay in Strega, when a kill was at its cheapest, we had high school girls asking us to kill a rival in popularity, delinquents asking for us to kill the chair of discipline in their school, even one contract where a child of 12 requested us to kill his mother for grounding him! Can you believe that?!” Gasps and murmurs of shock echoed around the table at my statement. I cracked a grin at the shocked face of the robot girl in front of me.

 “Yet we carried out each and every one of those contracts. A mercenary doesn’t ask questions. We just take the coin and pull the trigger. I’ve seen humanity’s darkest side, because I am the scum of the earth. So pardon me if my views of the world isn’t as idealistic as the rest of you. And before you interrupt, I am fully aware that there are good people in this world as well. That’s basically why I’m free of nihilism and haven’t went on a huge Dark Hour murder spree. But I’m not exactly disposed to save humanity just because I can. That’s a specialty of you heroes right?”

I cocked my head to a side and grinned a lopsided grin towards Mitsuru. Of all the people in the room, she was the only one who didn’t have an absolutely incredulous and furious expression on her face. After a moment of thought, she sat up straight and folded her arms in front of her.

“What will it take for you to disclose Project Prometheus’s motives and methods to us?”

“Now we’re talking business.” I sat up straight to match Mitsuru’s posture. “Now what would a mercenary want for his services? Do I really need to spell it out?”

“Money.” Mitsuru almost spat. The tension in the air was palpable. “If it’s money you want then it’s money you shall receive. Name a price.”

I glanced up at the clock on the wall. The seconds hand was slowly ticking away to midnight. “Well, as much as I would love to discuss contract here and now, might I suggest another time since it’s almost the Dark-”

Before I finished my sentence, a green aura descended upon the room and all electronics ground to a halt. That by itself wasn’t surprising, what was surprising that I was the only human in the room. Around me lay 14 coffins. I gaped for a second, not knowing what to do.

_‘They can’t access the Dark Hour! But Shirogane and Kirijo are definitely Persona-users, I saw them active in Watanabe’s artificial Dark Hour, but why-’_

_‘Let’s talk about that later Caius’_ Chicot broke through my bewilderment _‘Let’s go! Get out of there when you can!’_

Nodding to myself, I sprang out of the couch and started heading to the door. Pausing with my hand on the door knob, I turned around and looked thoughtfully at Mitsuru’s coffin.

_Hmm…. I wonder…._

* * *

 

**_POV Shadow Operatives_ **

Caius glanced up at the clock before replying: “Well, as much as I would love to discuss contract here and now, might I suggest another time since it’s almost the Dark-”

And then he was gone. Vanished. Disappeared.

In a flash, Yosuke and Jumpei were on their feet and on either side of the armchair that Caius was sitting on. Narukami and Aigis both sped past them and burst out the front door, looking down both ends of the corrider. Fuuka turned to Mitsuru, holding her hand out.

“Mitsuru-san, give me you evoker!” Nodding, Mitsuru reached down for the evoker, intent on letting Fuuka start a quick scan right now.

Except the evoker wasn’t there. Looking down in bewilderment, Mitsuru only saw an empty holster hanging off her left thigh. _When did-?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by Aigis’s voice:

“Mitsuru-san. I found this on the chair where Caius was sitting.” It was a note.

_Mitsuru-san,_

_Surprised that I disappeared? I was equally surprised that you transmogrified. Why would that happen, I wonder? To be a Persona-user and not have access to the Dark Hour. Well, that seems almost criminal doesn’t it? ;)_

_As for our interrupted discussion, let us meet at the feet of Tokyo Tower at 11:45 pm in a week’s time to continue our negotiations on more neutral grounds. All of the Shadow Operatives are welcome to attend._

_P.S. Thank you for being so kind to loan your evoker to me. If you can kindly bring me all the gear you confiscated from me (Shotgun, rounds, bracers, and evoker) to our next meeting, I would be much in your debt._

_Regards,_

_Caius Gevauden_

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ???  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	9. Chapter 9

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

Commands issued to Persona

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

“Chicot! **Mabufudyne**!”

As the spiritual bullet passed through my mind, Chicot sprang from my head and unleashed an icy whirlwind towards all the shadows surrounding me. The muttering Tiaras instantly dissipated, screaming. A few Gigas and a single King remained. The King lifted his scepter above his head, but collapsed before he can finish the summoning ritual. Twirling an Italian stiletto dagger in my hand, I walked towards the group of shadows with a wide smirk.

_‘It seems like our little King is out of mana.’_

_‘It’s called Spirit Pressure, Caius. At least call it SP if you want to shorten it.’_

_‘Ikutsuki can call it whatever he wants. I’m still calling it mana.’_

_‘He’s a leading expert on Shadows and Personas!’_

_‘He could be God himself, but he still pisses me off with that snobbish attitude whenever he’s buying shadow parts from us. So I’ll call it whatever I want, thank you very much…’_

Ducking under a Gigas’ punch, I stepped in and swung the dagger up, slicing the several tendons along the arm. As the shadow roared in pain, clutching it’s now-useless arm with the other, I straightened up and stabbed it through its throat.

Feeling a sudden draft on my left, I took a quick step forward, feeling the fist of the second Gigas barely brushing against my back. Quickly pulling my dagger out of the first Gigas, I spun around and rammed the blade into the second shadow. Bringing my knee up, I rammed it into the Gigas’ chest. On a human it would have hit the solar plexus, and it seemed equally effective on the shadow. Letting out a scream of pain, the Gigas dissipated, covering me in a thick slimy black goo.

_‘Yuck…. Seriously?’_

_‘Heads up Caius!’_ Hearing the warning from Chicot, I looked and saw a giant golden fist flying from above towards me.

_‘Holy Jesus mother of fu-!’_

Relaxing, I allowed Angelic Grace to flow through my body and yank me backwards. Cushioning my fall with a roll, I felt the ground vibrate as God’s Hand smashed onto the ground. Looking up, I saw a smoky crater where I was standing, and the Gigas who cast it rushing towards me. My evoker was up to my chin in the blink of an eye.

The Shadow’s fist connected heavily with Chicot’s cross. I grunted as the blow flowed through Chicot, and coughed into my hand. I noticed a few specks of crimson spittle land on my palm.

 **“Bufudyne!”** A block of ice encased the Gigas and shattered, killing the shadow within it. Looking around, I saw the King running away as fast as its stubby little legs would allow.

 _Oh no you don’t_. Snapping my right arm straight, the dagger flew from my hand and shot at the shadow like a silver arrow, plunging into the Shadow’s head. The Shadow fell, screaming and dissipating. I doubled over, panting. I tasted a hint of blood in my mouth, and looked back down at the specks of blood in my palm.

_‘You’re driving yourself ragged Caius. This is, what, the third night you came out here looking for a fight?’_

_‘Can’t sleep. So I fight. The crash after an adrenaline rush always works.’_ Sighing, I wiped my hands on my pants as I walked to where the King had fallen.

_‘You’re coughing up blood now. You need rest.’_

_‘I’ll take my rest when this life is exhausted.’_ Pulling the knife out of the Shadow’s head, I started rummaging through the Shadow’s body for loot.

_‘You totally ripped that line off from Assassin’s Creed. And it doesn’t even apply in your case! Do you want to die?’_

_‘Look, I can’t sleep, alright? Ever since the Watanabe incident, I can’t sleep unless I’m half past dead!’_ I lost my temper and snapped. Chicot fell silent, unable to rebuke me. I replaced the dagger in a sheath strapped under my jacket.

It was the third night since my escape from the Shadow Operatives, and also my third sleepless night. Every time I closed my eyes, Watanabe’s smirking face would appear in front of me, and I would wake up screaming to find half of the room encased in ice. The only remedy I’ve found was to exhaust myself fighting Shadows right before I go to bed.

Unfortunately, that also has its side effects. Opening a bottle of Coke, I poured the contents down my throat, making sure to rinse my mouth a bit with it to wash out the lingering taste of my own blood. As much as I hate to admit it, Chicot has a genuine point. My body is starting to break down from the constant fighting and lack of sleep.

_‘Let’s call it a night Chicot. Maybe I can get some actual sleep tonight. God know I’ll need it before the arranged time.’_

_‘Are you not worried that they’ll just try to apprehend you?’_

_‘Oh I can keep them talking for 5 minutes, stay alive for 10 more, and then the Dark Hour would save my butt.’_

_‘Fair.’_

 After 5 minutes of walking, I made it home. Opening my apartment door, I took off my jacket and unbuckled the dagger from my chest. Drawing the dagger out of the sheath, I examined the steel blade and the decorated handle. It was a good traditional Italian stiletto with a Damascus steel blade cross guard along with an ivory handle. The handle was decorated with a portrait of a woman on one side and a mirroring image of a skeleton on the other side. Typical Renaissance style decorations.

_Have to hand it to him. The old man at the antique shop knows how to pick his wares._

Grabbing a honing metal from the side, I started honing the edge of the blade while waiting for the adrenaline rush to die out. Making sure to only sharpen three centimeters from the tip, I also took note of how thick the blade was in total.

_‘Wouldn’t do for it to snap in the middle of battle….’_

_‘I remember telling you that it was a waste of time and money when you spent half your savings on this knife and blackmailed one of the local thugs into teaching you knife fighting. Turns out I was wrong.’_ Chicot commented in my mind.

 _‘HAH! Anyone recording here? Chicot admitted he was wrong!’_ I gloated, while mentally nudging Chicot.

_‘Still, it was unnerving how you were that into knives when you were 13.’_

_‘Chicot, when I was 13 I was already shooting myself in the head with an evoker routinely. Jin was playing with firecrackers, Takaya just stole his first revolver and was shooting holes in the wall, and don’t even get me started on Chidori and her axe….’_

_‘Oh god, her axe…’_ Both of us chuckled at the mental image of 13 year-old Chidori trying to swing around an axe almost as big as she was.

_‘How long did it take for us to convince her to get a smaller axe?’_

_‘Way too long. I remember that we spent a whole week finishing contracts back to back just to pay for fixing all the holes she left on the walls.’_

_‘I thought the construction guy was about to call the cops once he finished the job. His face was hilarious…’_ Grabbing a scrap piece of paper, I sliced it with the dagger to test the edge. It sliced through, leaving a smooth cut. Satisfied, I sheathed the knife and reached for my sleeping pills.

_Hopefully I’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight…._

* * *

 

I woke with a start, Watanabe’s lingering laugh echoing in my ears.

_Not that dream again…. Dammit, what’s going on?!_

I lifted my right hand to smooth my hair over, only to suddenly feel a strike on my forehead.

Opening my eyes wide, I swung my legs out on a sharp kick to wherever the strike came from and grabbed the dagger from my bedside table. The kick missed, but I used the momentum to move from lying on the bed to half crouching on the bed, and looked around.

I was alone. There’s no sign of any assailant.

 _What the-?_ As sensation returned to the rest of my body, I felt what was wrong. Looking down, my right hand was encased in a block of ice. Looking at the icy block dumbly, I reached instinctively for Chicot.

_‘Umm… Chicot, please tell me this isn’t what I think it is…’_

_‘I wish I can tell you otherwise, but you see it. You hit yourself on the head with a block of ice and didn’t know it.’_

_‘And you’ve been casting spells in my sleep again. Do I really need the suppressants?’_

_‘No. You’re not in danger. Yet. Probably just PTSD or something.’_

I looked at my frozen hand for another few seconds before flexing forcefully. The ice shattered, releasing me from my manacles. Glancing at the clock, I groaned internally. 5 am. Barely 4 hours have passed since I went to bed.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I leapt out of bed and headed towards the shower.

_Might as well start the bloody day…. So much for a good night’s sleep…_

* * *

 

“Gevauden-kun, you look quite tired. Are you sure you shouldn’t be in bed?” Saitou asked. I looked up from the glass of whiskey and responded with a wry smile. It was late at night and I had done nothing productive that day.

“Can’t sleep, Saitou. When I do, the demons up here,” I pointed at my forehead, “they come out to play. And it ain’t pretty when they do.”

“Really?” Saitou nodded. “I’ve seen things like that before. But only in war veterans. You seem a bit too young to be in any wars. But then again, war is not the only terror in the world.”

“Do I have to be in a war to have bad dreams?” I joked, downing my whiskey and pouring myself another. “I just can’t sleep properly. That’s all.”

“My my… you seem to be in quite a dilemma.” A slightly playful voice rang up from my right. Turning around, I saw a young woman looking at me from half-closed eyes.

She had platinum blonde hair and strange yellow eyes. But what caught my attention most was her outfit. It looked similar to what elevator attendants would wear, only that it was all colored in velvet blue. Even the gloves, the hat, and the boots. I raised an eyebrow at that, and she giggled.

“Is it fitting for a gentleman like you to be appraising a lady like me for that long?” She teased. Rolling my eyes, I looked away and waved at Saitou.

“Saitou, get me another shot glass. I guess I owe this lady an apology.” Receiving the glass from the smirking bartender, I filled it with whiskey and placed it in front of the lady. “Here you go. Peace offering. Just don’t sue me for sexual harassment or something…”

Ignoring the drink, she kept her eyes fixed on me, propping her head up with one arm. I noticed a very large, very old-looking tome under her elbow.

“You say you couldn’t sleep due to dreams. Anything special about them?”

“What do you mean? About the dreams?”

“Yes, of course. What else?” I chuckled and turned around to face her.

“Look lady, I don’t really think I feel comfortable telling a girl I just met at a pub my deepest and darkest fears that keep me up at night. Are you?” The woman suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries. I am so used to only dealing with guests that I don’t have a good grasp on how to make conversation with strangers…” As if to hide her faux pass, she took the shot glass of whiskey and drained it in one go. Slightly coughing a bit, she looked at the glass with interest.

“Hmm… what an interesting beverage… It burns slightly down the throat, but seems to warm you up once it reaches the stomach. Perhaps this is to teach people that in order to gain anything, one must first endure a certain amount of pain or discomfort. Much thought seems to have been put into the creation of this drink.” My eyes widened at the absurdity of her statement, and I started chuckling under my breath. She looked at me confusedly.

“Am I wrong about that?”

“I highly doubt that any drink contains such a profound message. Sometimes things are just the way they are, and there’s no deeper meaning behind them. And as for whiskey…. Well, you’ll have to drink a bit more to feel the full effects. Here, it’s on me, but don’t drink it too fast or else you’ll regret it tomorrow morning.” I refilled her glass. This time she took a small sip.  I continued talking:

“You said that you’re not good at dealing with strangers. Well, maybe we can exchange names first? My name is Caius Gevauden.”

“Gevauden… what an interesting name. Definitely not Japanese, yet you look like any other Japanese person I’ve met…”

“Boy, if I had a penny for every time I was told that….” I slightly shook my head, refilling my glass. “My mother’s family was from a French speaking part of Canadan, and she was pretty adamant on me inheriting her name. My dad was a Japanese scientist who doesn’t really care either way, so I received the name ‘Gevauden’. But on the genetics part, it seems as though Dad’s genes won the majority of it.”

“Really? That’s interesting… Your parents sound like interesting people.”

“That they were.”

“Were?”

“They’re dead. Some freak accident on Tatsumi Port Island 12 years ago.”

“Oh…. I apologize for bringing it up.” The woman fidgeted and took another sip from her glass. I shrugged.

“That’s fine. I barely remember any of it anymore. What about you? I told you about me, so it’s only fair you tell me about you right?”

“My name is Elizabeth, and I am currently on a submission.”

“What?” I looked at Elizabeth with a raised eyebrow. “You’re on a submission?!” She suddenly looked just as confused as I was.

“Subscription? Application? Well, something of that sort.”

“I believe you meant ‘mission’?” Her eyes lit up with those words.

“Yes, I believe that was the word I was going for. As I said, I have a task I need to do, but I’m not strong enough to do it myself.”

“Not strong enough to do a task? Are we talking about moving around heavy pieces of furniture, or is something much more serious at stake here?” Elizabeth let out a tinkling laugh at my joke.

“Oh it is the latter of course. If it were the former I could always ask strong men like you to help.” She sobered up, and took another shot of whiskey. I silently refilled her glass. “There is a friend of mine who’s trapped in a certain…… situation, and I hope to free him from it. Unfortunately, I am only able to lessen his burden by a bit. But he still carries the blunt of it.”

“Blunt?” I raised an eyebrow at that word.

 _‘For god’s sake Caius, she’s having a moment there and you’re going all vocabulary Nazi on her?’_ Chicot nearly screeched at me.

_‘Shut up Casanova.’_

“Obtuse? Sharp? Something of that sort.” Elizabeth shrugged. “The point is, I feel powerless. And I’m not used to feeling powerless. I have tried everything, even studied those who have pulled off amazing feats that should be well above their abilities, yet I came back none the wiser.” I grimaced in sympathy.

“Have you ever thought you’re just trying too hard?” Elizabeth looked up at me, confused. “Not everything in life can be forced open by brute force. I won’t pretend I know anything about you or your friend or the situation that he is in, but I would suggest that you put him out of your mind for a while.”

“But-” Elizabeth started to protest, looking bewildered, but I pressed a finger against her lips and silenced her.

“Look, from the way you’ve been talking about this, I can sense you’re pretty devoted to this guy, and I would bet that you mean as much to him as he does to you. So let it go for a while, put it at the back of your head. Enjoy life. That’s pretty much what he would want you to do instead of stressing over his mess. Nobody would wish this much anxiety on a friend.

“But I’m not telling you to give up. I’m saying that you have already put in all you’ve got and next to nothing came out of it. Now it’s either up to his situation to change a bit, or for you to find new inspiration, and I highly doubt any of that would happen if you try to force it. So why make yourself miserable over something you can’t change? Sit down, have a few drinks, and enjoy life. In the meantime, keep a vigil for any potential chances to help that friend of yours. That way, when a chance comes along, you would be in the best shape to take advantage of it.” I finished my monologue and grinned at Elizabeth. Then I noticed that my finger was still on her lips.

 _Oops._ Quickly drawing my hand back, I shook my head in embarrassment.

“Sorry ‘bout that.”

Elizabeth shook her head, licking her lips and looking at me thoughtfully. I suddenly felt goose bumps go down my back, and had I feeling that I was being analyzed.

“Don’t worry about it. You are an intriguing person, Caius Gevauden. I look forward to meeting you again.” She finished her last glass of whiskey, and stood up. Or at least she tried to, only to stumble and grab onto my shoulders for support. A red blush was going up her face, presumably from the alcohol.

“Whoops. I see what you mean when you said that I should drink more and slowly for the full effects of this drink. Such a surreal experience, but not also quite pleasant… I could see why Margaret’s only request to my Master after assuming my position was to add a liquor cabinet to the room. It seems that my sister is not as uptight as she would have me believe….” Almost mumbling to herself at this point, she waved absentmindedly to me and started walking out, her footsteps quite steady despite her apparent inebriation.

I was turning back to my drink when Chicot spoke up again:

_‘Yo, finally getting some normal human interaction, right? I’d say that chick was a 9.5. What about you?’_

_‘Seriously? She has another man. She might as well been waving a wedding ring in front of us with all her devotion to that guy she’s trying to help.’_

_‘Hey, might just be her brother. And plus, just because the flower’s taken doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it.’_

_‘Well if it makes you happy, then yes, I do find her very attractive and her personality very intriguing. But I don’t have time for a relationship right now.’_

_‘Jesus Christ, a few days ago you were too angst-filled for it. Today you’re too busy for it. Tomorrow you might be too dead for it. Grab the fucking moment Caius!’_

_‘I would wait until this whole nightmare spell-casting thing is resolved, before I take my chances with the ladies. PTSD was never a good selling point, and neither is casting ice spells in your sleep.’_

_‘I know a few Elsa fans who won’t mind the ice spells part.’_ Chicot sniggered at his own joke, but then turned serious. _‘But on another note, we’re 5 minutes from the Dark Hour. Maybe you’d like to walk her home or something? Wouldn’t it be just swell if the only lady you’ve chatted up for god knows how long suddenly fell to Apathy Syndrome right after meeting you?’_ Grumbling to myself, I checked my watch, and Chicot was right about the time. It was just a minute since Elizabeth left, maybe I can catch up with her-?

Throwing some cash on the table, I picked up the bottle of whiskey and hurried to the exit where she just left. Swinging the door open, I looked around for her distinctive hair and clothes.

_What the hell?_

Despite the streets being extremely well lit and not having any nooks and crannies nearby, she was nowhere to be found.

It was like she had teleported away.

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	10. Chapter 10

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

I stood in front of Tokyo Tower on the agreed upon night, a cup of coffee in my hands. It was 11:30 pm. Sipping from the cup, I tried to shake the vestiges of fatigue from my head.

 _‘Don’t be such a baby. You actually got 8 hours of sleep yesterday night, and it is your fault that you decided to come early to set things up.’_ Chicot piped up. _‘Talking about it, your dreams have not been as vivid ever since you spoke with that Elizabeth chick. Maybe you should do that more often.’_

 _‘If I ever see her again.’_ I grumbled. I still haven’t figured out how she disappeared so quickly, and she definitely wasn’t a regular at Saitou’s. _‘And plus, I still find ice in my room after waking up. That can’t be good.’_

 _‘C’mon, brighten up!’_ Chicot sent me a mental image of him doing a silly jig. I snorted at the ridiculous image.

_‘Where’d you learn how to do that?’_

_‘I always could’ve. It just never occurred to me to try until now.’_

_‘Do not flash my mind with pornographic images.’_

_‘Aww….But why not? I can’t show you anything that you haven’t seen or pictured in some time in your life.’_

_‘I would still rather you refrain from doing so.’_

_‘Sure, sure….’_ Chicot agreed, but I got a feeling that he was just placating me. Before I can follow up, he suddenly tensed. _‘Persona-users around. I guess the Shadow Ops also decided to come early.’_

Looking around, I saw a ridiculously long limousine parked in the corner of the plaza. It seems to be at least making an attempt to be parked inconspicuously, but it was still gathering quite a lot of attention from both locals and tourists. I mentally face-palmed.

_‘The hell is THAT?!’_

_‘That is apparently the Empress’ ride. There’s a few more Persona-users loitering about though.’_

_‘When did you become a sensory type?’_

_‘I’m not. It’s just that us fighting alone for so long has forced me to be a lot more aware of our surroundings than the average combat-type Persona. And plus, if you actually looked around, you’ll see that they kinda stick out.’_

Following Chicot’s advice, I looked around and almost immediately recognized Yukari Takeba. I didn’t recognize her by her face, or by anything else, but by the huge leather guitar case she slung over her back. In one episode of _Featherman Victory_ , her character used a similar case to conceal her bow and arrow when her transformation device was stolen and she still wanted to participate in the final fight.

_‘Fanboying again, Caius?’_

_‘It was a good show, okay? Now get off my ass about it.’_

_‘Hehe… on a more serious note, she’s not the only one.’_

Scanning the crowd more carefully, I caught sight of the distinctive blue cap of Shirogane. He was together with a silver-haired man with a golf bag slung over his back, a black-haired girl who was wearing a red jacket, and a brunette with a green jacket over her police uniform. I recognized all of them from my last meeting with the Shadow Operatives. At another corner, I noticed a kid, maybe mid to late teens, walking a white dog. Alone that wouldn’t have caught my eye, but the kid was carrying a long case that looked like it was meant to hold a fishing rod. Probably another “concealed” weapon.

 _‘Jesus Christ, how many people do they think they need to take me down? And why all the bulky weapons?!’_ Chicot chuckled in agreement. At that moment, I noticed a door of the limousine open, and Mitsuru walked out with Akihiko and a maid. Mitsuru was holding a duffel bag, and I noticed the maid holding something long and wrapped in cloth, presumably Mitsuru’s rapier. Akihiko was wearing leather gloves, but as the crew walked closer I can see it bulging at certain locations that suggest he has his knuckles wrapped under the gloves.

_‘Wow, they’re all ready for a fight.’_

_‘Can you blame them?’_

_‘Guess not. Glad I chose a crowded location.’_

Checking my watch, I saw that it was time. Walking forwards, I greeted the others with a warm smile that wasn’t returned. Mitsuru held out the duffel bag to me with an icy expression. Receiving it, I quickly sifted through the contents.

‘ _Evoker, check. Lupara, check. Rounds, check. Holy shit, I had that many megido rounds? Jesus Christ…. And bracers, check. Okay, everything here.’_

 _‘Why did you ask for your evoker? You have the one you stole from Mitsuru.’_ Chicot asked as I straightened up and handed her the evoker, which was in a huge envelope. She received it and checked the contents as I expected.

_‘Sentimental values. It’s my Strega evoker.’_

Apparently satisfied that I have not given her a fake, Mitsuru looked at me.

“Well? We are here. Shall we go somewhere more private and talk business?”

“Get all your Shadow Operatives here first. I’d rather not have everyone miss out on the important stuff, and I’d rather have them all in one place once time comes. Easier to identify them that way.” Mitsuru and Akihiko looked slightly shocked at my knowledge of their presence. I shrugged and pointed first at Yukari, then at the kid walking his dog, and then at Shirogane’s group. “When you’re carrying around a giant leather case for no apparent reason, it kinda catches the eye. And tell Shirogane that his hat is way too much of a trademark to be suitable for any kind of covert operation.”

Mitsuru winced and Akihiko face-palmed. I noticed out of the corner of my eye Shirogane mirroring Akihiko’s actions, and Takeba blushing a bright crimson. _So they have a bug on either Mitsuru or Akihiko… Good, saves me some time._

“You said you want them to be in one location. Why? Are you planning something? What is this about ‘when the time comes’?” Mitsuru quickly recovered from her shock and started shooting questions in my directions. I shrugged nonchalantly.

“What do you think, Empress? When the Dark Hour hits of course. How am I going to tell your coffin apart from the hundreds of other coffins if you’re all mixed up? Now cover me.” Crouching down so that Mitsuru and Akihiko blocked any passerby’s view of me, I pulled the Barbaric Bracers out of the duffel bag and started strapping them on. Looking up, I saw both Mitsuru and Akihiko looking at me confusedly. I hastened to explain myself.

“Look, I’m quite aware that we started out on a weird note, what with you guys catching me right after I killed Watanabe, and then me having the little spat against you and Shirogane. Yet I’d still like to start a relatively healthy working relationship with you guys. So now I’m offering three free services, as a peace offering if you will. One would be reintroducing your group to the Dark Hour, since you would seem to benefit from that, and another would be guarding you guys against the shadows while you wake up.”

“Why do you think we need guarding?” Akihiko snapped at me while Mitsuru took out a phone and dialed a number on it. I rolled my eyes.

“Look, I’ve been pulling people out of their coffins during the Dark Hour for a long time. You’ll be disorientated for a while right after the coffin lid is lifted. And if there’s something I learned after a few years in the Dark Hour, it’s that us Persona-users seem to be a delicacy for Shadows, so if they ever catch you fresh out of your coffin, you might as well be served on a silver platter with a bottle of fine wine to wash down your bones.” As I was talking, I pulled the sleeves of my jacket over the bracers and started strapping the evoker onto the gunbelt. Akihiko was looking at me with a face that clearly said ‘I hate you but you have a point’. Mitsuru, who had finished her call, interjected:

“If you were so worried about us, then why didn’t you set the meeting location to somewhere more defensible?” Looking up, I saw the other Shadow Operatives gathering to our location. Four more figures left the limousine and approached us. _Jesus Christ, they came full stocked…_

I looked to Mitsuru and smirked before answering: “Because I don’t trust you guys yet. And apparently, you don’t trust me either, since you brought a full battalion with you. I needed somewhere highly populated so you guys would think twice before getting dirty.” I laughed lightly at Mitsuru’s expression. “That’s right. I’m pretty much using every non Persona-user here as a hostage. But since it’s only as an insurance, you wouldn’t mind would you?

“No, hold it, it actually doesn’t matter if you mind or not. Just know that if you try to apprehend me by force or anything like that, things would get really ugly for all the innocent people around here. But if that’s not part of your plan, we can talk business.” Waving cheerfully at the other Shadow Operatives as they arrived, I checked my watch. 10 minutes to the Dark Hour. Mitsuru still looked disturbed by my declaration, but apparently decided to drop it for now.

“You mentioned that you are rendering us three services. What’s the third one?”

“The third one? Oh. You mean that.” Straightening up from where I was crouching over the duffel bag, I grinned cheerfully, “It was already rendered. The service was not killing all of you when I first found out that none of you could access the Dark Hour.” I chuckled at the disturbed expressions of the Shadow Operatives, “What? It never crossed you mind that I could’ve done that?”

Suddenly a familiar voice drawled out from the back of the group.

“Huh. So that’s what you truly are, Caius. You know, I think I actually like you a lot better this way…” I tensed up, as did Chicot.

_‘That voice….’_

_‘Tohru Adachi?!’_

Sure enough, there he was, at the back of the group, slightly slouched over, grinning widely with his hands in his pockets. Strolling to the front of the group, he stood right in front of me, looking at me up and down.

“I guess this makes up for the pain of getting called out of the detention center as extra back up. However, I never expected you to be the rogue Persona-user that has the Shadow Operatives all in a fix…” Finding my tongue, I managed a reply:

“I thought you were in jail… something about that serial murder case in Inaba…”

“Oh, that? First, it wasn’t even a serial murder. I only snuffed off two of the three killed. Some kid did the third. And second, they couldn’t convict me. At all. I mean, nothing would stand in court, and my appointed defense lawyer basically had a field day. So of course, the National Police handed me over to the Shadow Operatives, and they detain me. And call me out as an auxiliary unit when shit goes down, like now.”

“Huh. I wondered how you managed to pull of those weird murders, but now that I know you’re a Persona-user, things start to make more sense. Never took you for a neat killer though. I tend to make a mess whenever I let loose.” Adachi let out a bark of laughter at my comment.

“Yeah, I’d say. I’ve heard what you did to the Tokyo branch of Project Prometheus. Apparently they had to use DNA identification to tell which hunk of corpse belonged to who. As for me, well I didn’t really decide how to kill them. It was more of a matter of chance that they ended up that way.”

“We have a lot to catch up on, it seems. For now, I’m just glad to see you.” With that, I pulled Adachi into an embrace. I felt him tense for a second, but then he loosened up and returned the hug.

“Yeah. Glad to have my drinking buddy back.”

Both of us chuckled. I heard someone in the group of gawking Shadow Operatives mutter: “Why am I not surprised to learn that those two know each other…”

Breaking the hug, I checked my watch again. Only 1 minute until the Dark Hour. Turning to face all the Shadow Operatives, I lifted my arms wide as if to embrace all of them.

“Welcome…. To the-”

A green aura descended upon us before I can finish the sentence. In a blink of an eye all the people in front of me have been replaced with coffins. I sighed sadly and finished lamely:

“Dark Hour…. Jesus Christ, the world just hates me right?”

_‘Hehehe…. Well, you can just stop with your theatrics.’_

_‘You know, it’s just not the same if I’m not being dramatic.’_ Shaking my head, I picked up the belt with the custom rounds and evoker strapped on, and buckled the thing around my waist. Looking at the 13 coffins in front of me, I reached forward to the first one in preparation to open the lid…

 _‘Wait.’_ Chicot stopped me before I could pull the lid off.

_‘What?’_

_‘Shadows. A shit ton of them. There’s no way you’ll be able to open the second coffin once you pull of the lid of the first.’_ Looking around, I saw that Chicot was right. Mayas were lurking around the corner of the plaza, while gleaming yellow eyes shown out from every dark corner I can see.

_‘Holy shit. I knew we would attract a bunch, but already?’_

_‘Heh, you were always surrounded by shadows whenever the Dark Hour came out. You usually only notice the brave or stupid ones who decide to confront you, or the unfortunate ones that you caught feeding. Now, however, all of them are staring at you because they sense a huge amount of vulnerable Persona-users.’_

_‘Jesus Christ it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Wait… how do you know that? Are you sure you’re not a sensory type?’_

_‘All Strega Personas knew that. Medea told us all. We just never thought it necessary to worry you guys with it.’_

_‘Gee, thanks….’_ Looking around, I tried to count all the yellow eyes shining from the darkness. I gave up once I reached 100. _‘Jesus Christ, do you think that our little setup would be enough for this batch?’_

_‘Nope. Definitely not. Won’t even be enough to buy you time to open all the coffins the safe way.’_

_‘So… the dangerous way then?’_

_‘It seems like it. Don’t worry, we never killed anyone by opening the coffins the dangerous way. And plus, it’s only really dangerous for non-Persona-users anyway.’_

_‘Who told you I was worrying?’_ Ignoring Chicot’s unconvinced snort, I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a zio gem. With my other hand I drew my evoker and pointed it against my temple.

_‘Ready Chicot?’_

_‘Lock and loaded.’_

Taking a deep breath, I felt Chicot focus his energy upon the 13 coffins. I focused my own mind on a corner of the plaza, and clenched the zio gem tighter. My breath came out as a low hiss between my teeth. My fingers tightened on the trigger.

“Chicot…. **Mabufudyne**.” The sound of shattering glass rang out as Chicot unleashed his icy fury upon the coffins of the Shadow Operatives. With a giant crash, all the coffins were encased in thick layers of ice, which proceeded to crack and shatter. From each block a Shadow Operative fell out, dropping to their knees and breathing heavily. None of them seemed awake yet.

Once the coffins broke, a giant roar arose among the Shadows. I saw countless dark figures materialize and charge towards the group of people in front of me. Gritting my teeth, I lifted the zio gem and smashed it against the ground.

 **Zio Gem**.

A burst of lightning flashed from above and struck down on a corner of the plaza, striking a trash can and, more importantly, the mazio gem I placed in there earlier. Countless weak bolts of lightning flashed out from there, many of them striking at Shadows and forcing them to back off. One bolt strayed to a side and hit a backpack on a bench, triggering the magaru gem in it. Countless wind blades ripped their way out of the bag, with one of them finding another planted gem somewhere, and so forth…

**Mazio Gem, Magaru Gem, Maragi Gem, Mabufu Gem, Magaru Gem, Maragi Gem…..**

The different colors of the four elements flashed around the plaza. All the transmogrified humans were protected by their coffins, but the shadows weren’t that lucky. Their screams filled the air, contrasting sharply with the beautiful light show created by countless spells flashing in the Dark Hour. I smiled in satisfaction. It seems that all the late nights spent in front of the desk planning the layout of all those spell gems didn’t go to waste….

A Gigas busted though the chaos and hurtled towards me, still smoking from the several spells that struck it. Raising my Lupara, I unloaded both barrels into its torso, halting the shadow’s advance. Taking advantage of its pause, I stepped in, drawing my stiletto and slitting the Giga’s throat in one quick movement.

As the Gigas disintegrated, I looked around and became acutely aware that the storm of spells have died down. I have succeeded in destroying all the Mayas and weakening most of the stronger shadows, but that was no victory. All the Kings in the massive army of Shadows waved their staffs and summoned more Mayas, sending me pretty much back to square one. Looking back, I saw the Shadow Operatives slowly stirring as if they just woke up.

_‘Well shit. All those gems and it barely bought us 5 minutes.’_

_‘3 minutes and 15 seconds, to be exact.’_

_‘Shut your mouth Chicot, and set up a perimeter.’_

_‘Roger.’_

Pressing the muzzle of the evoker against my chin, I pulled the trigger again.

“Chicot, **Mabufudyne**!”

Chicot materialized behind me and raised his mask up high. Countless tiny chucks of ice materialized around us and surrounded us in a huge icy vortex, preventing the shadows from advancing further.

  _‘How long can you keep up this wall Chicot?’_

_‘2 minutes maximum, for your own safety. If they’re still not awake by then, I will force you to escape and leave them behind.’_

_‘Hopefully it won’t come to that. I’ll feel like crap if I lead them to their deaths.’_

_‘Oh, and by the way, you’ll only have Angelic Grace at your disposal for the ones who get through the blizzard.’_

_‘Fair enough.’_

As we were talking, a few Snakes made their way through the icy wall and lunged towards the Shadow Operatives. Swinging around, I unloaded both barrels in their general direction, causing the shadows to halt their advance. Quickly taking a megido round from my belt, I dropped it on the ground and crushed it underfoot.

**Megido Gem.**

A blast of almighty energy knocked the Snakes back as I quickly reloaded the Lupara, selecting maragi rounds this time. Pulling the trigger as soon as I snapped the barrel shut, I unleashed a blast of fire on the Snakes, sending them screaming into oblivion.

Catching a flash of movement at the corner of my eye, I instinctively leapt up into the air, summersaulting over the Iron Dice that just tried to crash into me. Flipping around, I saw that the shadow had rolled a snake eyes. I unsheathed my dagger as I descended towards the shadow, landing heavily on top of one of the two die while plunging the tip of the dagger into the mask adorning the other. Feeling the texture of the Iron Dice change under my feet, I leapt off as the shadow died.

Hastily reloading my shotgun, I heard a giant roar behind me, and spun around just to see several Beetles charging through the blizzard and towards the Shadow Operatives. Snapping my arm straight, my dagger flew from my hand and planted itself in one of the chinks of the lead beetle’s shell. The shadow reared up in pain, crashing into its fellows and landing in a confusing heap.

Taking advantage of their confusion, I rushed towards and unloaded both barrels into the pile of shadow. The force of the shot didn’t kill the shadows, but was strong enough to push them back into the blizzard, where they froze and shattered. Doubling over to catch my breath, I checked the Shadow Operatives again. I can’t even see them properly due to the bad lighting.

 _‘Oh sure. Go ahead. Take a long, long nap. I’m doing just fine here. No trouble at all…’_ I grumbled while reloading the Lupara.

_‘Get your head in the game Caius. There’s still more of them coming. And plus, you’re at half time.’_

_‘I know. Keep the barrier u-’_

Before I could finish my sentence, a huge rolling fireball burned a path through the blizzard and crashed right into Chicot. He disappeared with a screech, taking the blizzard with him while I crouched down, holding my head in pain. A Tank rolled closer, its cannon smoking from the spell it just cast.

_Shit… that was an Agidyne with Mind Charge right? The shadows are getting a lot stronger…_

I gasped for breath and fumbled with my evoker as the Tank slowly turned its cannon towards me. The other shadows just seem to be spectating at this point, waiting for their champion to kill me. I tried to stand up, only to find my knees wobbling too much to support my weight.

“Am I going to die here? Well, at least I’m gonna die guarding Adachi. Not that bad a death, in the end….” I muttered to myself. The black hole of the cannon lit up with another Agidyne spell. I smiled tiredly and closed my eyes in resignation.

“Justice will be mine! **Shields of Justice!** ” A sudden voice yelled out from somewhere behind me. Opening my eyes in surprise, I see ethereal riot shields materialize in front of me, protecting me from the Agidyne spell that would’ve killed me.

Looking back, I saw Shirogane standing, breathing heavily as his Persona dematerialized. Around him the other Shadow Operatives were all getting up. The girl in the red jacket turned towards me.

“ **Diarahan!** ” I felt my strength returning as the healing aura washed over me. Standing up, I thanked the girl with a curt nod, and turned to face the shadows once more. They halted their advance, noticing that their buffet seems to be fighting back. Mitsuru walked up next to me.

“You have fulfilled your promise to the word. The Shadow Operatives are in your debt.”

“Glad to be appreciated. Now let’s just clean up the mess here.”

“Agreed.”

The Shadow Operatives lined up on either side of us, and all of them raised their evokers.

“PERSONA!”

The flashes from all the spells released were a thousand times more blinding than my little light show with all the spell gems. The screams of shadows filled the skies once more. I laughed aloud, exhilarated by the turn of events.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!”

 _‘Caius, look.’_ Chicot interrupted, his voice and mood unexpectedly stern.

_‘What, spoilsport? We’re winning.’_

_‘Look. The Shadow Operatives are all sending their spells parallel to the ground. You do know what that means right?’_ His voice sent a chill down my spine, and I paid closer attention to my comrades. Sure enough, Chicot was right.

_‘Oh…. Shit. We’re in a heavily populated tourist site, and they’re all immensely powerful Persona-users… Shit!’_

Before I can open my mouth to warn them, I heard a clear voice ring out to my side:

“Haraedo-no-Okami! **Agneyastra**!” As I spun around, I saw the police girl pull the trigger to her evoker, summoning a golden samurai who seemed to have stolen Darth Maul’s lightsaber. Swinging the staff around, the Persona summoned several flaming comets down on the army of shadows. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one comet headed for a cluster of coffins at the side.

 _Fuck!_ Quickly pressing the evoker against my chin, I pulled the trigger and materialized Chicot right in front of the coffins. Raising his cross, he blocked the stray comet with his giant cross. I coughed and doubled over from the impact.

 _Shit! That was a lotta force…_ Adachi, seeing me crouch down, jogged over and stood between me and the shadows. Looking over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow.

“Who got you?” I chuckled a bit at his question and shook my head.

“Nobody. Just preventing collateral damage…” Straightening up and raising my voice, I shouted: “Yo, everyone! Angle all your spells downwards to limit their range! The average ‘–dyne’ spell could shatter a coffin, and a ‘–la’ level spell could also shatter a coffin in a few hits! Keep the collateral damage to a-” Before I finished my sentence, I heard another voice on the other side of the group.

“Isis, **Panta Rhei!** ”

Spinning around, I saw Takeba summoning her Persona and unleashing a huge gale towards a group of Mayas. And behind the Mayas are another cluster of coffins.

 _What did I just fucking say?!_ Rolling my eyes, I summoned Chicot again and materialized him in front of the coffins again. As I expected, the huge gale scattered all the shadows, sending them screaming to oblivion, and kept going straight towards Chicot and the coffins behind him.

I doubled over again from the powerful wind spell, this time coughing up a few droplets of blood. Adachi, who was watching the whole thing, frowned in annoyance to Takeba, who seemed to have noticed her mistake and was looking at me apologetically.

“Bitch…”  He muttered. I straightened up, spun around, and stormed over until I was almost toe to toe with Takeba.

“What did I JUST SAY about COLLATERAL DAMAGE?!? Aim your MOTHERFUCKING spells DOWNWARDS DAMMIT! And what’s with the spell you used? One does not simply use PANTA MOTHERFUCKING RHEI on a bunch of MOTHERFUCKING MAYAS in a MOTHERFUCKING POPULATED AREA!!! WHAT IS FUCKING WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!!” Yukari leaned back, looking extremely alarmed and embarrassed at my outburst. Most of the Shadow Operatives are staring at us by now, and Adachi is barely holding back his laughter.

Misturu seems to be the first to remember that we were still surrounded by Shadows. Swinging her rapier around, she turned to face the shadow army again and raised her voice:

“Do as he says and don’t get distracted! Angle the spells downward to limit range and always be mindful of where you attack! Let’s go!”

I growled and turned back to the shadows, knuckles white from clenching my evoker.

_Bloody amateurs…._

* * *

 

I crouched on the ground, gasping heavily. With all the Shadow Operatives pulling their weight, the shadow army got decimated easily. But in the process of doing so, I took more hits from the Shadow Operatives than from all the shadows. Mitsuru and Akihiko caught up on the whole “avoiding collateral damage” thing pretty quickly, but the rest of the Shadow Operatives still let loose the occasional spell in the direction of pedestrian coffins. Which meant I would summon Chicot like an idiot and take the hit instead of letting random people die en masse. 

“ **Diarahan**!” I felt the healing aura wash over me again and my stamina regenerated. Looking up, I saw the girl with the red jacket smiling at me. Taking a deep breath, I straightened up and nodded at her in gratitude. She was the one who kept me alive while her idiotic comrades kept knocking me down.

I heard the click of high heels behind me, and turned around to see Mitsuru approaching me.

“I believe we are in your debt once more. If it wasn’t for your actions, many innocents would have died from our inexperience.” I shrugged.

“Unintentional mass murder is generally bad for business, so I learned early on to avoid those if possible. However, it does seem that your Shadow Operatives are pretty…inexperienced when it comes to urban shadow warfare.” A disturbed expression flashed through Mitsuru’s face, but she quickly composed herself.

“Yes, I am quite aware of that. Which is why I’m willing to hire you as a mercenary unit of the Shadow Operatives for an extended amount of time.” Reaching inside her coat, Misturu produced a business card and handed it to me. I took the card, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“I think I can pull up one of the contracts that we used to use in Strega and hand it to you for review…. But are you sure about this? I’m not sure my style would really fit with your… team dynamics.”

Something that might have been a smile flashed across Mitsuru’s face, but it disappeared too fast for me to tell. “Well, from what I see, regardless of your motives and thoughts, the end result of your actions is that you minimize the deaths of innocents. As long as that happens, I think you’ll fit into the team just fine.” Misturu held out a hand to me.

“Well then...” Taking her hand, I shook it and smiled at Misturu. This time it was a genuine smile. “I look forward to working with you.”

“Welcome to the Shadow Operatives, mercenary.”

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	11. Chapter 11

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

 _‘Ugh, how the hell do you get this tie on?’_ I stood in front of the mirror while struggling with a tie.

 _‘Youtube it.’_ Chicot replied lazily.

 _‘That… actually makes sense…’_ Sitting down in front of my laptop, I waited impatiently for the old thing to boot up. Once the screen came to life, I clicked on a browser and quickly found an appropriate video. Clumsily imitating the video’s instructions, I managed to fasten the wine-red tie around my neck in an appropriate manner. I stood in front of the mirror again to check how I looked.

 _‘Black suit, black pants, gray shirt, and red tie. Looking good bro! You’ll get all the ladies.’_ Chicot quipped at the back of my head.

_‘Sarcasm much?’_

_‘Nope. I actually mean it. Have some faith in yourself. You’re no Brad Pitt, but you at least look decent.’_

_‘Seeing that you’re a facet of my personality, I must have Narcissistic Personality Disorder.’_ As Chicot chuckled at the back of my head, I stretched and frowned as the suit limited my movements. _‘I still don’t like this. The suit is way too restricting on my movements.’_

_‘Caius, let’s face it, the only two situations you’ll need full movement range tonight is if you’re getting attacked or getting laid. And neither of those require you to keep the suit on.’_

_‘You just never change, don’t you? Remind me how I got into this mess again?’_

_‘You know full well how it all happened…’_

* * *

 

_“She WHAT??!!” I stared at Adachi incredulously. The former detective, who have been temporarily released to give me the reviewed contract from the Shadow Operatives, sat beside me in Saito’s bar and grinned lazily at my agitated expression._

_“Well, I don’t know where she got the idea, but Kirijo decided it was a good idea to give you a welcome party. Formal attire is required. You know, suit and tie and all that fun stuff.”_

_“And if I decide I don’t want to come?”_

_“Nope. Won’t work.” Adachi grinned widely before taking a sip from his sake. The bastard was obviously enjoying himself. “Since the party is set in one of the few times when all the Shadow Operatives can be assembled, Kirijo arranged for you to report on Project Prometheus’ goals and motives and the Dark Hour during this gathering.”_

_“But that still doesn’t mean…” Adachi raised my newly signed contract to my nose, a finger pointing at one line in particular. I read the line in question:_

_“Item 3: The Mercenary agrees to disclose all details regarding the (a) methods and goal of Project Prometheus and (b) the Dark Hour phenomenon to the best of his knowledge at the time and location indicated by the Client.” I blinked. “Well shit….”_

_“Yep, you’re coming to this party whether you like it or not, since you signed the dam contract yourself.” Downing the rest of his sake in one swig, Adachi started to walk out of the pub. “Well, don’t let me deter you from dressing up. I’m still technically in deep legal shit as far as the Shadow Ops are concerned, so I have to hurry back.” Right before leaving the club, he looked back at me one more time, his grin widening even more._

_I flicked him the finger, attracting a howl of laughter from my drinking buddy before he left the bar. I looked glumly at my bottle of whiskey._

_“Fucking bastard…..”_

* * *

 

An hour after I left my apartment, I stood in front of the Shadow Operatives HQ. Raising an eyebrow, I glanced down at my phone, rechecking the address that Adachi left me.

 _Yep, this looks right….._ I then looked back at the monstrosity of a building in front of me. _This, however, looks like it’s about to give the Cologne Cathedral a run for its money….._

The building in front of me could only be described as a palace. It looked like something that would pop out if the White House ever decided to mate with the Kremlin. And it was used as a base of operations for a shadow organization.

 _‘Just which part of this screams Shadow to you?!’_ I ranted at Chicot.

_‘Well, we are talking about a group of people who drive a limo to a covert operation. So technically…’_

_‘Yeah, you’ve got a point. Dam, I feel underdressed now…’_ Shaking off my trepidation, I stepped into the ridiculously majestic building, knocking three times on the oaken doors. A middle-aged woman in a deep purple kimono opened the door.

“Welcome guest! May I show you to your room?” The woman bowed deeply in front of me and asked in a cheerful voice. I took a step back, alarmed by the sudden change of plans.

_‘My room? Has this suddenly turned into a slumber party or something? How long IS this shit gonna last?’_

_‘Relax Caius, I’m pretty sure any bedroom here would be more comfy than your apartment.’_

_‘That’s beyond the point!’_

While I was still trying to understand what was going on with the situation, two voices rang up from behind the woman in front of me.

“Mother!”

“Amagi-san!”

The woman turned around with her eyes brimming with amusement, and faced the two figures that came jogging up behind her. One was a woman in a maid uniform, while the other was a young woman with raven black hair wearing a pink kimono. After skidding to a halt in front of us the maid started bowing to both the kimono woman and me while muttering half formed apologies, and the young woman just rested her head in her hands and sighed. The woman who greeted me let out a tinkling laugh.

“Oh relax Yukiko. Kikuno-san was busy with all the other guests and I heard this fine young man knocking on the door. You see, old habits do die hard.”

“But mother! You got the lines are wrong! You can’t show him to his room! We are not even in the inn!” The young woman, Yukiko, paused in the middle of her rant as her facial expression became vacant for a second.

“In… the inn…” she muttered quietly to herself. Suddenly she doubled over and started laughing hysterically.

“Snrk…..Hahahahahahaha… in... the inn! Oh God… hahaha… my sides! I, I can’t…… hahahahahahahah… oh god I can’t breathe, I…. hahahahahah…”

I stared at the kimono clad laughing hyena in front of me, and looked towards Yukiko’s mother, raising an eyebrow. She chuckled and went on to explain:

“Oh don’t worry. She does that some time. I had thought that she would grow out of it when she got older, but it just doesn’t seem to be kicking in yet…” As the older woman’s voice trailed off, the maid walked up to me and bowed.

“Gevauden-san, I presume? My name is Kikuno, and I am Mitsuru’s head maid. If you would follow me, I shall bring you to the dance floor.”

Leaving the mother and daughter ( _Jesus Christ she’s still laughing_ ) behind, I followed the maid into a long corridor. As we walked, I tried to figure out why Kikuno-san looked so familiar to me…

Clearing my throat to get the maid’s attention, I asked: “Kikuno-san, I can’t help but think we’ve met before. You were carrying Mitsuru-san’s rapier during the Tokyo Tower meeting, right?”

“That is correct. I usually accompany Mitsuru-san in missions where violent conflicts are not completely necessary. I was also one of the ones pulled out of the coffins by you.”

“Are you also a Persona-user?”

“No, but I have received training to function within the Dark Hour. Which is why it was extremely astonishing for me when I was suddenly pulled back into it.”

“Really? That’s interesting. How long has it been since you’ve last experienced the Dark Hour?”

“In reality, two days before the meeting. The Shadow Operatives have equipment that simulate the Dark Hour for training purposes. But even so, before the Tokyo Tower meeting, I have never experienced a single natural Dark Hour for 3 years. So of course you can imagine my surprise when I was pulled out of my coffin.” I fell silent as I contemplated this new development.

_‘Chicot, any thoughts on this?’_

_‘Well, it is weird. What differs an artificial Dark Hour from a true one? Why can some Persona-users experience the Dark Hour while others can’t? Or how did they lose their access to the Dark Hour?’_

_‘Lose? You mean they could access it before?’_

_‘I’m sure at least some of them could. After all, they know about it and can create it artificially. It would be too much of a longshot to imagine that they simply hypothesized and proved the existence of the Dark Hour. It’s one of those things that are way too ludicrous to be simply imagined up and researched without any concrete evidence. Much more likely that they had prior access to it and lost it.’_

_‘Assuming that you’re right, that raises the question, why didn’t we lose the ability?’_

_‘Too less info, and too less time. Look, it seems like we’re there.’_

Just as Chicot had pointed out, we arrived at what could be the dance floor. And to be honest, it qualified as a dance floor just as much as Mitsuru’s limo qualified as a car. It was big enough to be a rugby field, and had the middle cleared out as a dance floor, where several people were already waltzing in. The sides of the hall was lined with long tables filled with platters of food and…..

_‘Holy crap is that a soda fountain?!’_

_‘Several soda fountains.’_ Chicot corrected me, _‘Our hostess is the head of the Kirijo Corps after all.’_

Kikuno, the maid, turned around and bowed to me again. “Here is the dance floor. Feel free to help yourself to any of the food that you see and socialize. Kirijo-san would be with you shortly.” With that, she walked away, leaving me to idle around. Looking around, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s really paying me much attention, so I decided to walk to the soda fountains.

‘ _Huh. Might as well get something to drink. Let’s see, what have we got here….. Coke, Fanta, Dr. Pepper…. Even V8? Who drinks that at a party?’_

_‘Diehard health freaks? Or maybe Risette and Takeba. They do need to watch their calorie intakes for their jobs…’_

_‘Okay, now that makes sense.’_ Grabbing a glass from the side, I scooped a few pieces of ice from the ice bucket into the glass and filled it with Coke. I looked around while taking a sip. Several other people were also at the food table, and I recognized a familiar shadow somewhere at the corner of the dance hall.

Before I can start walking in Adachi’s direction, a voice rang up from behind me.

“Caius Gevauden, I presume?” I turned around and saw a man with silver hair behind me. I instantly recognized him as one of the Persona-users present in the Tokyo Tower meeting. He held out a hand to me.

“My name is Yu Narukami, pleased to meet you.” As I shook his hand, I recalled Adachi mentioning his name when we were catching up in the bar a few days past.

“You were the leader of the group that captured Adachi, right? I think his pride still smarts a bit from being taken down by high school kids….” Narukami let out an embarrassed chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

“Ah, yeah that was me. Well to be fair he was killing people and trying to bring an end to the world, so we didn’t really have any choice on the matter.”

“Hey, why are you acting as though you’re the bad guy in this case? He decided to give a stab at destroying the world, fucked up, and got his ass whooped. Such things happen, as with any other job that any other guy decides to pull. Nobody’s blaming you, not even Adachi.” Narukami looked at me with a slightly confused expression.        

“Aren’t you friends with Adachi-san? I thought that you might feel a bit annoyed that we brought your friend to jail.”

“Nah. Adachi is my only surviving friend that I can contact easily, and I love wasting time with that guy over a bottle of whatever liquor we can get our hands on. But that doesn’t mean I’m his caretaker. If he decides to try and pull a job only to end up biting off a bit more than he can chew, that’s none of my business.”

“Pull a job?”

“Eh, that’s just how we referred to fulfilling a contract when I was back in Strega. Now I just use it to refer to any operation that’s somewhat risky.”

“Oh.” Narukami paused for a second with a disturbed expression on his face. “But how can you forge meaningful bonds when you don’t care about what happens to your friends? How can you make friends with others knowing that you would just shrug off their death later on?”

“Who said anything about shrugging off their death? How can a friend’s death be simply shrugged off?” I turned and looked at Narukami in the eye. “Tell me this Narukami, have you ever lost anyone close to you before?” The silverette’s eyes suddenly became a bit hollow, and he smiled a sad smile. I immediately backtracked.

“Oh, I’m sorry I mentioned that. It was a rhetorical question, I never meant for it to bring back bad memories….” Narukami waved a hand absentmindedly and closed his eyes for a bit. When he opened them again, the hollowness in his gaze was gone.

“Don’t sweat it. I didn’t lose someone, at least not permanently. There was just a time when I believed that a close family member has died because of my actions. She recovered remarkably, but the memory of that time still haunts me.”

“Okay… well I’m glad that she’s fine now then.”

“Thank you. Why don’t you- ” before Narukami could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a light cough. Both of us turned around to see a short blue haired woman dressed in a black dress. The dress’ design was fairly conservative, but it still managed to how her curves and accentuate her beauty. And for some odd reason, I feel a bit of recognition when looking at this woman, yet I cannot remember where I’ve seen her before.

“Oh, hello Naoto. What did Rise want with you?” Narukami greeted the lady with a smile as he reached down and ruffled her hair. She let out a light growl of annoyance but otherwise made no attempt to stop him.

_‘Wait…. Wait, he said Naoto. Naoto as in Naoto Shirogane? Shirogane’s a lady?’_

_‘Caius, the man downstairs is reporting for duty. He says that he is really confused with what is going on right now, and is requesting more blood to continue Operation: Mara.’_

_‘Shut it Chicot, now’s not the time for innuendos! Jesus Christ…’_ Running a hand through my hair, I looked up to find that my brief space-out has not gone unnoticed. Both Narukami and the lady was looking at me. I coughed awkwardly.

“Um, may I ask whether your surname happens to be Shirogane?” The lady blinked at me for a few seconds, looking confused while Narukami was almost shaking with silent laughter.

“Why, yes. My full name is Naoto Shirogane. I believe we have met in several occasions, and I was one of the two Shadow Operatives to first discover you, and whom you decided on the spot to try and murder.” Her eyes narrowed at the last part, but I paid that no heed. Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my temples with a finger to try and clear my mind.

“Okay. I’m sorry but I always assumed that you were male, due to the way you dressed. And I must admit, seeing you in your current attire combined with my former misconception on your gender really confused me.”

Narukami chuckled as a faint blush dusted Shirogane’s cheeks.

“You aren’t the first one. In fact, you took it really well compared to many of the others.” Narukami informed me while ruffling Shirogane’s hair again, eliciting another growl of annoyance. I smiled as I watched the couple fool around despite Shirogane’s wariness around me.            

 _‘Enjoying the romance Caius?’_ Chicot nudged me mentally. I shook my head with a low chuckle.

_‘Enjoying human interaction. You were right Chicot. I do need human interaction.’_

_‘Heh. Be sure not to OD on the stuff. Been several years since you had such a concentrated dose.’_

_‘Can we not talk about this as if it’s a drug?’_

The clicking of heels broke through my thoughts. Turning around, I saw Mitsuru walking towards me alongside Akihiko. Narukami immediately stopped messing around with Shirogane and bowed slightly towards Mitsuru.

“No need to be so formal Narukami. This is a party after all. I trust you and Shirogane are getting along well with our newest recruit?”

“Yes of course we are.” I let out a bark of laughter at Narukami’s response, drawing the attention of all four Persona-users.

“Well, Narukami is getting along with me just fine. Shirogane, on the other hand, still can’t get over the fact that I tried to kill her.” Shirogane shot me a glare.

“Well, excuse me for not getting over my own attempted murder. I suppose that you would be much more generous to all of your would-be killers.” She retorted, her voice dripping of sarcasm. I sipped my soda before answering.

“I have. More than once in fact. One thing you need to know about me is that I never hold grudges for long.” I smiled at Shirogane’s slightly shocked expression, before turning to Mitsuru. “But I assume you aren’t here to listen to my life philosophy. I assume you are here to learn about Project Prometheus?”

“Yes, but first I’d like to gather everyone.” Mitsuru turned around, lifted her glass and lightly tapped on it several times with a teaspoon she took from a table. It was surprisingly loud considering that it was just a class and a teaspoon. The hubbub of many conversations soon died down, and Mitsuru cleared her throat.

“Everyone, I have a brief announcement to make. There will be a meeting of all Shadow Operatives field agents in the second floor conference room in 5 minutes. All guests are kindly requested to remain here, and are welcome to all the accommodations in this room. Thank you.” After her speech, there was a short flurry of movement as half of the people in the room started walking towards a giant hallway. Mitsuru beckoned at me and I followed her along with Shirogane and Narukami.

_‘Nervous, Caius?’_

_‘Hardly. Just recount my experiences, right? Not the first time I was subjected to experiments, so I’ll be fine recounting them.’_

_‘Um, the last time you were in the control group. And you didn’t have nightmares about it afterwards.’_

_‘Shut up. If I do have PTSD over it, I’m sure talking about it would be-’_ Suddenly my line of thought was broken by something else.

_I was in the hallway again, headed the double doors of Watanabe’s office. A draft flow through the corridors as I walked, making the straps on my straitjacket swirl around me. I snarled impatiently as I quickened my pace towards my revenge…._

“Gevauden, are you alright?” Narukami’s voice broke through my vision. Opening my eyes, I saw the four Persona-users looking at me. I was leaning heavily against the wall of the corridor, a thin film of sweat covering me head to toe. Standing back up again, I offered a strained smile to my companions.

“Nothing. Still a bit weak from the Tokyo Tower fight, that’s all…” A patter of footsteps interrupted me, as another group of people ran up from where we came from. Risette and a girl with green hair were leading them. Rise saw as and skid to a halt, before bursting out:

“Senpai, Naoto-kun! Thank god you’re alright!” Narukami and Shirogane looked at each other confusedly. Narukami decided to speak up:

“Um… thanks for your concern Rise, but what happened?”

“Fuuka-san and I detected a faint ripple of energy that felt like a Persona-summoning around where you are, so we thought that you were under attack!”

The girl with green hair, Fuuka, nodded.

“Yes, the energy emitted was identical to that which is released when a Persona is summoned. However, it was extremely faint. If it wasn’t for the fact that Juno and Kouzeon were strengthened by exposure to the Dark Hour a few days ago, we wouldn’t even have detected it. Even as it is, it barely registered under our radars…”

“Do you still detect it?” Mitsuru asked.

“No. Not anymore. It’s just that it alarmed us a lot, but in hindsight, we might’ve overreacted. Hehehe…” Rise had an embarrassed grin on her face. “It might not have even been there…”

“No, it’s fine. A false alarm is better than a miss. I want you two to keep a watchful eye out in case it happens again.”

“Yes, Mitsuru-san.” Rise and Fuuka answered simultaneously.

I frowned to myself as we resumed walking. Shirogane was looking at me thoughtfully.I had a feeling that she somehow connected my panic attack with the energy pulse. And she won’t be wrong either.

_Dammit Watanabe. I killed you. That should’ve been the end of it… Dammit!_

Reaching our destination, Mitsuru opened a double door, revealing a lounge with several large armchairs and sofas placed in a circle. There was even a bar at the side, fully stocked with drinks.

“Okay everybody. Grab a drink and sit down. We have a long talk ahead of us.” Following Mitsuru’s advice, I poured myself a glass a whiskey and sat down on an armchair, sipping from the glass to steel my frayed nerves from the panic attack. Everyone else also grabbed their drinks and settled down comfortably. As expected, everyone’s attention was on me. Mitsuru leant forward from the sofa she shared with Akihiko.

“Okay. I want you to tell us everything you know about the motives and methods of Project Prometheus, as well as the continued existence of the Dark Hour.” I smiled wryly to myself and took a generous gulp of whiskey from my glass.

_Oh boy, this is going to be a looooong discussion…._

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

               

 


	12. Chapter 12

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: Do I have to? *sigh*, I only own the OC…… Goddammit this is getting old…

* * *

 

“What do you know about the methods and motives of Project Prometheus?” Mitsuru asked again, leaning forward. I leaned back and took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Well, to put it in the simplest terms, they want to find a natural-born Persona-user and rip his Persona out. Then link that Persona to someone else.” A series of gasps from the assembled Shadow Operatives can be heard from my statement. Even Mitsuru looked shocked.

“How-? Is that even possible? To tear out someone’s Persona without it going completely berserk….” Kirijo muttered to herself.

“I would say no.” Shirogane replied, her tone all professional. “Remember the P-1 Grand Prix? Sho had the help of Hi-no-kagutsuchi, a god that exceeded Izanami-no-mikoto in strength.  Yet even he could not safely remove our Personas as a whole, which led to him chipping them away piece by piece instead.” I raised an eyebrow, confused, and was about to ask what was going on. A hand rested on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Adachi.

“I’ll fill you in later.” He muttered.

“Hm…. Well, despite everything you guys just said, I would vouch that it is definitely possible. Mainly because I was the prime subject of the Tokyo branch, and….”

_The familiar sound of the switch being flicked, and I arched my back as pain filled my mind, my human screams mixing with Chicot’s inhuman ones as the scientists on the control panel watched the readings and charts carefully._

_“Switch it off! He’s going to die from the stress to early and all this will be for naught! He’s the only test subject we have, we cannot afford to lose him yet!”_

_Another flick of the switch, and I collapsed back on the lab table, panting heavily…._

“… I can definitely feel that they only lack a few finer calibrations before they can successfully isolate somebody’s Persona. They were saying something about me dying before they’ve completely isolated Chicot, so I’ll bet that’s the problem right now. Judging by the matter-of-fact way that they were speaking about it, me dying was also part of the plan…” My voice trailed off as I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow and took another sip of whiskey. I would hope that nobody noticed my little lapse into nightmare land, but Shirogane was scrutinizing me with too much intensity for my liking.

_‘Relax Caius. There’s no way she can know, and you got it under control before I was even affected. You’re getting better at controlling this.’_

_‘Chicot, one does not simply control nightmares and flashbacks. You and I should know that better than most.’_

_‘True, true….’_

Mitsuru’s voice brought me back to reality.

“But…. In this case it would be quite difficult to imagine them operating with only scientific backing. Even my grandfather and Ikutsuki had worked in accordance to an ancient prophecy for their own works on the Shadows….” I shook my head at Mitsuru’s musings.

“Not quite. They have almost all they need from the Strega experiments. Since it seems to be obvious that none of you have had a close heart-to-heart with any Strega members, have any of you at least looked closely at the Kirijo Ergo Lab files pertaining to them?”

Shirogane cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention.

“I have read through the files on the Artificial Persona experiments shortly before our last operation in Inaba. It seems that artificial Personas are created by manipulating Shadows into stronger, more militarized forms and then trapping them in a tiny shard of the Plume of Dusk. Afterwards the shard is then implanted into a human host, therefore granting the human a ‘Persona’. The human host can them theoretically call upon the Shadow as a Persona, yet because the untamed Shadows created  this way are all very aggressive, they would try to kill their human hosts whenever possible. Thus the Ergo Lab developed suppressants for the human host to control their artificial Personas.” I clapped lightly at Shirogane’s speech, drawing everyone’s attention to me again.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” I paused for a while, and then let out a chuckle. “Ah, who am I kidding? I actually didn’t know that much about the creation process for artificial Persona-users either, except for the fact that members of Strega all had something physical implanted into them around the solar plexus. Anyway…” I stopped after noticing that the guy with a baseball cap had his hand up. Mitsuru sighed.

“What is it on your mind Iori?” The man lowered his hand and scratched the back of his head while chuckling.

“You know you can just call me Junpei, Mitsuru-san. Anyways, a lot of that was way over my head, but isn’t the Plume of Dusk also implanted in Aigis, Labrys, and that Sho guy? But none of them seem to have similar Persona problems, unless Sho was just good at hiding it….” His voice trailing off, Junpei looked at Adachi, who shook his head.

“No. As long as I was working with him Sho never took any suppressants or anything. And plus, it wasn’t his Persona that was out of control, it was his persona….lity.” Adachi answered, chuckling at his own lame pun. “Shit, that was bad. Sho really rubbed off on me…”

“Srnk….” A low snort of laughter came from the back of the room. Yukiko was holding both hands to her mouth and shaking slightly. The brunette on her right who was wearing a green cocktail dress rolled her eyes.

“There she goes again… I better take her outside before she completely blows up. I swear her threshold for this kind of thing just gets lower and lower as she gets older….”

“I think the three glasses of wine I saw her drink on the dance floor contributed to that as well…” Fuuka mentioned. The brunette face-palmed.

“Oh, so on top of all that she’s DRUNK as well? Now I’ve got to take her outside before she starts shouting for the King’s Game.” Standing up, she took Yukiko by the hand and started hurrying her to the door. “Yosuke, catch me up on speed later, okay?”

“Alright. Thanks Chie!” A headphone clad boy, Yosuke, gave Chie a thumbs up as the two friends left the room. Right before the door closed, Yukiko finally lost control.

“Srnk…. Hahahahahaha……!”

And then the door clicked shut and the laughter was blocked out. I turned to Mitsuru.

“Well…. That was that… I must say that I’m really impressed by the sound insulation of this room.” Mitsuru gave a wry smile.

“Yes. It would be impractical to leave the daily upkeep of this place to only those who know about Shadows, so I have made several conference rooms where the Shadow Operatives can speak freely. But we’ve went off topic. I believe Iori asked a question?” Shirogane answered quickly:

“Yes, he was asking why the Anti-Shadow Suppression weapons and Sho didn’t encounter the same fate as the artificial Persona-users. The key is the size of the Plume of Dusk and the nature of the host. Neither Aigis nor Labrys are biologically human, and thus before their Plume of Dusk implantation, they would have no personality. In a way, their current forms which we see are merely vessels for their actual form, namely a Plume of Dusk.” The golden haired robot, Aigis nodded in consent.

“That is mostly correct. The bodies of me and my sister serve the primary function of expressing the personality held within the Plume of Dusk and also have a built in evoker for summoning our Personas.”

“So that means we can technically switch your Plume of Dusk into another body and you’ll still be Aigis?” Junpei asked eagerly.

“No. This body also provided the memory storage function and many other functions that are gained from my experiences. If you moved the memory module and Plume of Dusk alone into another body, there would be no guarantees whether I would still be me when I wake up in my new body.”

“Oh…..” Junpei leaned back, looking slightly disappointed.

“Jeez Stupei, you can’t just ask someone if they can change bodies!” Takeba smacked Junpei on the back of his head while berating him.

“Ow! Hey, I resent that!” Shirogane cleared her throat again, this time visibly impatient. Narukami placed an arm around her shoulder, and she relaxed a bit before resuming her lecture.

“My point is, the Anti-Shadow Suppression weapons cannot be compared to the artificial Persona-users. Sho apparently have had a full Plume of Dusk implanted, similar to Aigis and Labrys, and this resulted in the development of a Persona and a second personality referred to as Minazuki. As I understand it, an implantation this way would not endanger the host physically and would not require suppressants.

“In the case with the artificial Persona-users, however, the size of the Plume of Dusks implanted were too small to have a personality within. They were only used as containers for malicious and militarized Shadows, and thus the host would need the suppressants in order to keep the Shadows under control.” Shirogane finished her tirade and started massaging her temple with her fingers. Her face held an exasperated expression, while the silverette beside her seemed to be barely holding back laughter. I cleared my throat.

“Okay, so now for why I brought up the subject of Strega. The Strega experiments should prove that Project Prometheus, claiming to be formerly from the Kirijo Ergo Labs, have all the technology required to ‘transplant’ a Persona. The only thing they still need, and the only thing they are still working on, is-”

“The extraction of natural Personas.” Mitsuru muttered to herself. “One of the reasons why the idea of Artificial Persona-users were ditched was because the militarized Shadows they used were still fundamentally wild and malicious. Even with suppressants, they would rip most human hosts apart in a matter of days, if not hours. A Persona, on the other hand, is a tamed and trained Shadow, so if they manage to finalize the extraction process…”

“They can then steal the Personas of others and place them into loyal soldiers. Or maybe just keep the Persona isolated and study it.” I finished for her. “As far as I can tell, that would be the end goal of Project Prometheus. Although I do admit, it sounds like a mean to a further end….”

“That would be enough for now. We found files pertaining to Project Prometheus in one of the old Ergonomics files, and suspected that it was not going to be pleasant. Now we know that for sure. Eliminating Project Prometheus would now be one of our top priorities.” Mitsuru declared with a determined look on her face. The rest of the Shadow Operatives nodded in confirmation of her command.

The door clicked as Chie and Yukiko (who seemed to be all laughed out) returned to the room and got back to their seats. Yosuke leaned over to give them a hushed recap as Mitsuru returned her attention to me.

“That was half of our inquiry. The other half pertains to the reappearance of the Dark Hour. What do you know about that?”

“Reappearance?” I repeated dully. “Why do you say ‘reappearance’? As far as I know it never disappeared in the first place. Did something happen to make you think that it has disappeared?” My question drew the surprised looks from a lot of the Shadow Operatives. I raised an eyebrow.

“What? Did I say something weird?”

“We…. Haven’t destroyed the Dark Hour at all..?” Junpei seemed to be too stunned to formulate an actual sentence.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…. I thought it was bad enough that it reappeared, but the fact that it never disappeared in the first place….” Takeba also seemed too stunned for words. I sighed, exasperated.

“Uh, I’m totally in the dark here. What’s going on again? You guys do know that I escaped your custody via the Dark Hour right? So why so shocked by its existence?”

“Oh, forgive us…” Even Mitsuru seemed to be at a loss of words, but she quickly recovered. “It’s just that most of us have spent the last 3 years under the impression that we brought an end to the Dark Hour, and that has been a point of pride for our organization. Having you just simply refute that in a simple sentence is… unnerving at best.”

“Okay… I get the emotional whiplash part. But make no mistake, I’ve never missed out on a single Dark Hour since Chicot manifested 10 years ago. I’m not sure what you did, but it sure as hell didn’t influence the Dark Hour itself. By the way, what did you do 3 years ago?”

“Long story short, we destroyed Tartarus.” Akihiko filled in.

“Oh…. Yeah, if you managed to pull off something like that and then stop experiencing the Dark Hour, it would create the impression that you have ended the Dark Hour. But seriously, have your guys ever found any proof that the Dark Hour and Tartarus are connected in that way?”

“What do you mean? Tartarus only appeared during the Dark Hour. Isn’t that a clear connection?” A kid who looked like he was in middle school asked, while a white dog on his lap looked at me inquiringly. “I’m Ken Amada by the way. And this is Koromaru. We’re both Persona-users.” I blinked dumbly at that statement, and then stared at Kormaru for a bit.

“A dog…. Using a Persona…. And part of a top secret Anti-Shadow organization…. Okay. I’m just going to ignore the total lack of logic in the last statement and just accept things as they are…” Shaking my head, I answered Ken’s question.

“Yes, Tartarus only appeared during the Dark Hour. But you should know that Tartarus is only a building. A building teeming with Shadows and magic, but a building nevertheless. While the Dark Hour is more like a location in time and space. They are not exactly connected on a two way street….” Seeing that nobody seemed to get me, I racked my mind for a better way to explain.

“Let’s see… um… try this metaphor: You all know the Eiffel Tower right? It’s in Paris, and it’s the landmark there. If you see the Eiffel Tower standing around, you know you’re in Paris. And if you’re in Paris, you’ll expect to see the Eiffel Tower. They’re connected that way. You all following?” I waited for everyone to nod in confirmation, then continued.

“But let’s just say that one day, some people bombed the Eiffel Tower. It’s gone, reduced to nothingness. There is no more Eiffel Tower. But that doesn’t mean that the city of Paris also ceases to exist. It would just exist without the Eiffel Tower. You see what I’m getting at?” I saw understanding dawn upon the faces of several of the Shadow Operatives, but I decided to state the obvious, just in case.

“So what I’m saying is, you guys destroying Tartarus and believing that the Dark Hour doesn’t exist anymore makes just as much sense as a guy bombing up the Eiffel Tower and believing that Paris no longer exists anymore. Harsh, but true.” I heard a chuckle behind me, and turned around to see Adachi covering his mouth in one hand and holding his stomach with the other, basically shaking with laughter. Shrugging to myself, I turned back to see the Shadow Operatives looking at each other uncomfortably. Fuuka then turned around and addressed me:

“While that does explain the continued existence of the Dark Hour, it does not explain why we cannot experience it anymore. Any chance you have an answer for that?”

“Well, here’s a thought.” Adachi, who have somehow managed to choke down his laughter, cut in. “I do not have a lot of experience with this Dark Hour thing, but it sounds a lot like the TV world to me. And if there’s one thing I’m sure of, the TV world has its own mind. So if this Dark Hour thing is the same as the TV world, wouldn’t it make sense that it will kick you out if you mess shit up in it? I mean, working on the metaphor that Caius just used, I don’t think France would be let you back in its boarders if you just randomly bombed the Eiffel Tower….”

“No, the Dark Hour is not as sentient as that… it seems to be not as in tune with the human psyche as the TV world, if what you told me about it is true. My guess is that you guys blocked yourselves from assessing the Dark Hour. Either out of belief or trauma, like how people repress memories that they don’t like. Is there anything that might cause that?”

“Ugh… too many to count… especially after…” Junpei fell silent, as did half of the Shadow Operatives. Their eyes suddenly seemed to be filled with a hollow pain, similar to what I saw in Narukami’s eyes when I asked him if he ever lost someone.

“You lost someone to the Dark Hour, didn’t you? In the act of destroying Tartarus, you all lost a loved one… or maybe several….” I muttered softly. Mitsuru nodded, and looked up, her eyes awfully red.

“We lost two of our numbers in our quest to destroy Tartarus. One was an old friend to Akihiko and I, while the other was our field leader. The latter was an extremely powerful Persona-user, with a skill similar to that of Narukami…. He sacrificed himself to stop the end of the world….” I nodded gravely.

“I’m sorry for bringing bad memories up. My consolidations. But that would explain why you lost your access to the Dark Hour. For you that place holds too many terrible memories of friends loved and lost. Once you’ve accomplished your mission there, namely the destruction of Tartarus, you lost the subconscious will to remain in the Dark Hour. Similar to how some students during finals would keep their bodies healthy and functional through sheer willpower, and then collapse into a week of sickness right after the test.

“As for me, the Dark Hour actually holds many fond memories of me hanging out with the rest of Strega. It was our playground, where we can do as we please and get money out of it as well. Of course there were some bad memories mixed in as well, but for me the Dark Hour is held in a significantly more positive light than for you. Which would explain why I never lost touch with it.” A hand flew up from the back. Looking over, I saw Chie holding her hand up.

“Question! Why can’t any of the IT access the Dark Hour? At all?”

“IT?” I repeated confusedly. Adachi grinned.

“It’s short for Investigation Team. That’s the name of their ragtag group that stopped the end of the world.” Chie looked ready to yell at Adachi, but I cut her off before she started.

“Oh, I guess that also has to do with location. All of us who could originally access the Dark Hour was either on Port Island during the explosion, or lived there for an extended amount of time after the explosion. That might have something to do with it. But that’s not important right now. For at least half of you, I already shattered your coffins. That means you would be able to access the Dark Hour permanently. Period. I do believe that this would be more helpful to your Shadow related work?”

Some of the Shadow Operatives looked less than pleased with my statement that they would have access to the Dark Hour permanently, but Mitsuru nodded at my statement.

“Yes, that is true. I believe we have learned quite a lot right now thanks to you. There is much to think about, from Project Prometheus to the Dark Hour. I suppose we can call this meeting to an end.

“Tomorrow we will meet again at noon and formulate a patrol schedule for the Dark Hour. Since we now know of its continued existence, it would be prudent for us to limit Shadow attacks during the Dark Hour to a minimum. I believe you have been fulfilling that role in the past, Gevauden?” I smiled.

“I wouldn’t call it patrolling. More like just wandering and having fun. But yeah, I do save a few pedestrians every now and then.”

“Then you have experience in the matter. Would it be too much to ask that you accompany every squad for one week for orientation purposes? After that you can just settle in one of the squads.”

“Sure. That’s what you pay me for, right?”

“Fine. I will see you tomorrow, and I look forward to working with you, Mercenary.”

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	13. Chapter 13

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda…. You get the drill don’t you? (PS: I only own the OC)

* * *

 

“Take this!” Jumpei swung his spiked bat around, it struck a Gigas and sent it stumbling back. “Home run!”

As the Shadow regained its footing, it saw Chie running towards it with murder in her eyes. The Gigas quickly started some form of evasive maneuver, but soon screamed in pain as a couple of arrows suddenly sprouted from its feet and legs, pinning the Shadow to the ground. From the backlines Yukari waved cheerfully at the Gigas with a smirk on her face.

“Hiiiiiiiiiyah!” As Chie yelled, her legs swung out and she violently push kicked the Gigas on the chest, completely unbalancing it and sending it tumbling back into five other Shadows. Her friend Yukiko appeared immediately by her side and glared at the group of Shadows in front of her with her evoker posed elegantly against her temple. I raised an eyebrow.

_‘I didn’t even know you could be elegant while trying to shoot yourself.’_

_‘Heh, the Shadow Operatives are a group with many talents…’_ Chicot remarked to me, chuckling.

As we were talking, Yukiko had pulled the trigger. As the blue glow of summoning aura surrounded her, she pointed towards the Shadows.

“Turn to scarlet! **Burning Petals**!” The golden figure waved her katana in the direction of the Shadows, and a fiery lotus started to bloom within the circle of Shadows, incinerating them all. I sighed and drew my evoker.

“Chicot, you know the drill! **Mabufudyne**!”

Massive blocks of ice appeared around the dying group of Shadows as the giant flower within started to glow. Just as the last ice block fell in place, Yukiko’s powerful spell finally went nova.

With a giant roar that sent a small tremor along the ground, the spell exploded, slightly cracking the walls of ice surrounding it. With the four directions blocked, the spell turned into a fiery pillar that shot straight up towards the sky, surrounded by a thick veil of steam caused by the ice sublimating from the heat. All of us turned our eyes away from the blinding light of the spell.

When all had died own, a smoking pile of soot and a few rapidly melting patches of snow was all that was left at the site of the explosion. Shaking my head to myself, I walked over and placed a hand on Yukiko’s shoulder, grabbing her attention.

“If I didn’t do that, we would’ve been the only things left standing in a half-block radius. C’mon, I’ve heard from Adachi what you could do, so you don’t have to prove your strength or anything. Just show a little bit of self-restraint.”

“Sorry…” Yukiko mumbled, her eyes downcast.

It was two days since my report to the Shadow Operatives about Project Prometheus and the Dark Hour, and I was on patrol with Yukiko, Chie, Yukari and Junpei. The last night I was with Mitsuru, Akihiko, Ken, and Koromaru. It went surprisingly well, with Mitsuru and Akihiko mastering control over –la level spells. Ken and Koromaru was still a bit shaky on that, but they usually fell back on the Hama/Mudo combo, which couldn’t cause collateral damage in the first place. With this group though, I’m having a bit less luck….

“Huh. Well, you can practice as you go.” I reassured Yukiko, shrugging. “For now, just stick to spells like Agilao and Maragion for offense purposes. Don’t use any of the –dyne spells.” Chie immediately jumped to her friend’s defense in the face of my “sanctions”.

“You can’t ask that of Yukiko, right? I mean, her Persona is completely spell based! If you handicap her in her spell usage, you’re really tying her hands up in a fight!”

“Yes, I can ask that of her. I’m not forbidding her from casting spells, I’m just asking that she practice control with the weaker spells, which is easier to control and would cause less damage if she does lose control.” I looked around at our surroundings. We were in one of the more crowded parts of Tokyo. “In fact, with our surroundings and your general inexperience with controlling your spells, it would be best if we all didn’t use any -dyne spells at all unless we are confident of completely avoiding collateral damage.”

“Hey, that might be a bit too much.” Yukari’s voice came from behind me. She was looking at me in annoyance. “I think you’ve kinda forgot about it, but Yukiko’s not the only one with a spell-oriented Persona. The damage I can do with these arrows are limited, so while you might be able to conjure some fancy hack-and-slash from your Persona to kill all Shadows at once, the rest of us have to kill them one by one without spells.”

“When did I ever say my Persona was physical-oriented?” I interjected. “It’s every bit as spell-oriented as yours and Amagi’s. There is not a single physical skill in Chicot’s arsenal.” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Look, I am not asking you guys to not use spells. Just don’t use powerful offense spells yet. And for your information it is completely possible to defeat a group of Shadows using only passive abilities, and that would be the surest way to fight Shadows without collateral damage before you learn absolute control-”

“Hey, since you’re such a know-it-all, why don’t you demonstrate?” Junpei sneered at me. I raised an eyebrow. That guy really didn’t like me, and he didn’t hide it. “Next time we meet some Shadows, why don’t you take ‘em on without using any spells?”

 _‘Yo, Caius, Shadow at 3 o’clock.’_ Chicot alerted me, as if it was his cue. I turned around and saw a Gigas, a King, and three Tiaras rounding the corner to our little group. I looked back at Junpei and scowled.

“You know what? I might just do that.”

Ignoring the slightly shocked looks from the Shadow Operatives, I hefted my Lupara and started jogging towards the group of Shadows. As I got closer, the Gigas noticed me and started to turn in my direction. I sped up, sprinting at full speed towards the Gigas while the Shadow swung its giant fist at me.

I leant back at the last minute, sliding between the Shadow’s legs as its fist swung harmlessly above me. Pointing the Lupara upwards, I unloaded both barrels into the Shadow’s torso, sending it falling backwards screaming.

Sitting up, I rammed the weighted butt of the shotgun into the downed Shadow’s face, feeling something crack under the blow. The Gigas went limp and bubbled into muk. I stood up, and ducked just in time to dodge a few Agi spells thrown my way by the Tiaras. The King was raising its scepter in preparation for a summoning.

_Oh no you don’t!_

Drawing out my stiletto, I snapped my arm straight, sending the dagger flying in a silver arc straight between the King’s eyes. The Shadow dropped its scepter and reeled back, screaming in pain. I broke open the Lupara and poured out the empty shells, about to load in new ones. Then I felt the heat of an Agi spell flying straight towards my face.

_Shit._

Without thinking, I lifted the shotgun and barely blocked the spell with it, the force of the fireball sending the gun flying out of my grasp. I reached for my evoker, and then stopped.

_‘If I use a spell here, I’ll never live it down in front of these guys….’_

_‘Is this the moment for that Caius?!’_ Chicot screeched at me.

Ignoring Chicot, I opted for a summersault over the next few Agi spells and landed right in front of the King, who was still clutching his head in pain. I grabbed the ivory handle protruding out from his skull.

“Thanks for holding on to it, I’ll be taking this back.”

Pulling the dagger out of the Shadow, I casually slit its throat at the same time. The King screamed, and disintegrated. Behind it, the Tiaras had finished readying their next spell. I threw myself to the side, barely avoiding the fireballs as I hurled the dagger into one of the Tiaras, killing the Shadow. I landed heavily on my side only to find the two remaining Tiaras staring at me. Seconds later, two streaks of fire was headed straight to me. I quickly drew my evoker and pointed it at my temple.

_Shit, I’m not gonna make it-!_

Suddenly, a figure of gold obscured my view, expanding its wings to completely shield me. While Yukiko’s Persona absorbed the fire spells meant for me, an arrow sprouted from the head of one of the Tiaras, and a green blur rushed towards the second one and finished it with a well-timed kick.

“Geez, did you have to act all macho like that?” Chie muttered as she walked towards me and put her hands on her hips. I took a few deep breathes to steady my heartbeat, and then chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re right. I went in with my fists cocked and almost got my butt kicked. Ah well…” I felt a light tap on my shoulder, and saw Yukiko holding out my shotgun, now slightly charred. I took it gratefully, and Chie handed me my dagger that she found in the dead Shadows.

“What was that about defeating Shadows with only passive skills again?” Junpei snickered behind me. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay. I screwed up and needed someone to save my butt. That’s fine. We all do that now and then.” I looked at Junpei sideways. “Have you never relied upon others? Aren’t you supposed to be the good guys who are all about ‘bonds’ and stuff?” Junpei snorted angrily and turned away. I frowned at his back, but Chie grabbed my attention again.

“Even though you didn’t manage to kill them all, you still managed to kill three of them without even summoning your Persona! How did you do that?”

“Hehe, to be honest, I kinda cheated… Chicot has no offensive physical skills, but he does have Angelic Grace, which makes it easier for me to dodge most forms of spell attacks. But the dodging the physical attacks were all me. That’s just basic reflexes combined with experience, and you can get that at any dojo, or even just sparring against someone for an extended amount of time.” I looked down at Chie’s legs, which were covered in iron shin guards. “In fact, if you weren’t throwing in all your weight with your kicks, I bet you could do just as well if not better.” Chie looked slightly confused.

“Wait, why can’t I put all my weight in my kicks? That gives them maximum power!” I nodded patiently.

“Yes that does give you maximum power, but it also leaves you completely open for counterattacks. Your kicks pretty much sends your whole body hurtling against your opponent, and against anything human, or even some weak shadows, you won’t have to worry since they won’t live long enough to counter. But once you’re facing a group of Shadows, or one of those huge Tanks, you’ve got to cut back and throw weaker and more controlled kicks just so you can dodge or block and counters they throw at you. But that’s just advice from me, and you could do a lot better talking to any martial arts instructor.” Chie nodded at my advice, a small grin forming on her lips.

 _‘She might already be formulating new moves in her mind already. Dam that girl is dangerous.’_ Chicot remarked in my head. I grinned mentally at him.

_‘If Adachi is to be believed, she’s part of a group that slayed a God. Let’s face it Chicot, all of the Shadow Operatives we’ve met so far are capable of unleashing the destructive force worthy of a natural disaster.’_

_‘But then again, anyone with a –dyne spell and enough mana could do that.’_

_‘True.’_ A tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality. It was Yukiko.

“I-I’m sorry, but can you give me a few pointers on how to control my spells?”

“Hm? Didn’t I tell you to just use –la level spells for now? If you’re capable of channeling a full Agidyne through your psyche, you should be more than capable of some amount of finer control over weaker versions of the spell.”

“Yes, but I’ve just never had to purposely attack with control before. It’s either been a full on attack, or I would just refuse to attack…”

“Wha-? Yukiko I remember you throwing some Agidynes at me during the P-1 Grand Prix!” Chie suddenly exclaimed, “You don’t mean that you…” Yukiko covered her face in embarrassment.

“I-I was angry and confused by the things that I was hearing from the fake you, Chie! And before I knew it flames were coming out! I’m sorry Chie!” Chie sighed in exasperation. I shrugged.

“Well, if it is some practice that you want, there are drills you can do.” Yukiko’s eyes lit up, and I saw Chie, Yukari, and even Junpei look at me with interest. “So the first thing you would need to master is to focus your spells on empty space. I guess up until now all your spells have been focused on some sort of opponent, right?” Yukiko nods. I started walking towards a slightly open space in the middle of the street. “So the first thing you can try to do, and believe me this doubles as a defensive maneuver, is to focus on only the immediate area surrounding you, and nothing more.”

Drawing my evoker and pointing it firmly against the bottom of my chin, I took a deep breathe, and let the air come out between my teeth as a hiss. My finger tightened on the trigger.

“ **Mabufu**!” Chicot materialized behind me and waved his hand. Around me eight ice shards materialized and enlarged until I was surrounded by a waist high wall of ice. I snapped my fingers and the wall shattered. “So what I did was imagine that there were eight targets surrounding me. That way, the spell would hit eight points around me and join up into one wall surrounding me. This is a weak version. If I use a –dyne level spell with the same technique, I would be able to construct something like an igloo around myself.”

“Um... is that what you did earlier to restrain my fire spell?”

“Pretty much. If you can create a fire wall around you without burning yourself, you would at least know how it feels to control your spells…” As my voice trailed off, Yukiko eagerly pulled out her evoker and pointed it towards her temple.

“ **Maragion**!” At her command, her Persona appeared and waved her katana.

A concentrated blast of fire, with Yukiko at the center, hit me straight in the face and sent me flying. Slamming my back against a brick wall, I collapsed and gasped for breath. Looking up, I saw that apart from Junpei, the rest of the Shadow Operatives were in a similar state of disarray. Yukiko stood at the middle of the blast, looking at all of us with a mortified expression.

 “I’m sorry! Here, **Mediarahan**!” I felt a healing wave wash over me, and got up from the ground. Yukiko was rushing around bowing and apologizing repeatedly to the various people getting up. I chuckled and cleared my throat.

“Yeah, maybe I should’ve told you to keep your distance from others when you practice. And use Agi spells for practicing. This is a drill of control, and not power, so let’s just start from the weakest spells.”

Looking at the others nervously, Yukiko backed off to give everyone a wide berth before pointing the evoker to her head again. She let out a squeak of surprise when a tiny explosion occurred right where she was standing, engulfing her in flames once more. Shrugging to herself, Chie also found some space and pulled out her evoker, and Yukari soon followed. Junpei, however, gave me a sullen look and turned away. I raised an eyebrow at that.

_‘What’s his deal?’_

_‘Don’t know. Wasn’t he the one that yelled at you and blamed you for Chidori’s death when you first met the Shadow Ops?’_

_‘Oh yeah. That was him. Hmmm….’_

Walking over, I tapped Junpei on the shoulder. He looked at me, scoffed, and turned away from me.

“What do you want?” I shrugged to myself.

“Well, since you didn’t seem interested in practicing, and you certainly don’t seem to have anything else to do at this moment, I thought that maybe we could talk.”

“What’s there to say with a murderer like you?” Junpei spat. I put both hands over my chest and made a mock expression of hurt. Then I chuckled.

“Ouch. That’s gotta leave a mark, hehehe… But murderer or not, I’m still quite human. And there is something that I’ve been curious about, and now you seem to be the only one with the free time to answer me…” Junpei glanced at me and grunted. I took that as a sign to continue.

“How did they all die?” I asked softly. Junpei turned around and stared at me in surprise. I smiled sadly and asked again: “Strega. How did the rest of Strega die? I know you don’t like me, and I freely admit to being a murderer, but I think I at least have the right to know how my closest friends died.” Junpei shifted uncomfortably, and then he cleared his throat.

“Jin tried to stop us from ascending Tartarus. After he was defeated, we got surrounded by Shadows. He won’t let us carry him with us, so we left him behind. We heard an explosion shortly after, so I guess he blew himself up.”

“He did, didn’t he?” I chucked softly, “Hehehe… he was always talking about going out with a bang. I guess, in a way, he got his wish. Did he die before Takaya? I really couldn’t imagine anyone getting to Takaya without stepping over Jin’s limp body first.”

“Yes. Takaya was waiting for us on the next floor. We beat him down and moved on, and we saw him alive and awake for a bit after that. But I think he was still in Tartarus when it collapsed. We never found his body.”

“How like him. To just disappear from the face of this world.” I leant back and reminisced for a brief moment. Then I turned back to Junpei. “I believe we are one Strega member short.”

“Chidori…. She… She…..” To my surprise, Junpei started shaking a bit, and a trail of tears slowly snaked its way down his face. “She died saving me….”

“She saved you…?!” I trailed off in surprise.

_Is that even possible? It goes against what she, and all of Strega, believed in for so many years! What could cause her to save a member of the Shadow Operatives?! Unless… unless…._

“You two were in love, weren’t you…” I muttered softly as the realization hit me. “She grew to care for someone that was not from Strega…” Junpei nodded, too choked up to speak. I leant back, to shocked by this revelation to say anything more. Beside me, Junpei slowly regained control of his emotions.

“I was trying to save her from Strega, to get her to join our side. I almost had it as well. But Takaya, he shot me in the gut. And she saved me. And died in the process.” Junpei looked at his evoker grimly. I looked at his eyes.

_Yes, those are the eyes of one who knows loss…_

“I never knew about your relationship with her. I would never have brought her up otherwise. My apologies.” I took a deep breath and released it with a hiss. “Of the three artificial Persona-users, she was the one fullest of life. I have known her as a sweet girl back before the clutches of despair got to her, and before I left the rest of Strega I have been trying, and failing, to get her to regain hope. I am grateful to you, Junpei Iori, for letting her know love again, even for a brief while.” I looked up at the Green Moon that watched over us during the Dark Hour.

_Are you watching me now, Strega? Have you went somewhere where death no longer looms over your shoulder all your life? Have you finally found…. Peace?_

“ **Maragi**! Yes! I finally did it!” Yukiko’s voice cut through my musing, and I turned around alongside everyone else to see her proudly standing within a circle of flickering flames. Shrugging to myself, I chuckled while initiating a small round of applause for the Priestess.

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	14. Chapter 14

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC…

* * *

 

“What? Are you serious? Hahahahaha…” I doubled over the bar table laughing, with Adachi laughing alongside me. Still chuckling under his breath, the former detective wiped a tear from his eye before continuing:

“And you know what the craziest thing was? I had to specifically say the words “Persona Fragments” before they even realized that their Personas were being chipped away at! I mean, how dense can you get?! It was like me pointing at them and saying ‘Hey bro, that’s a lot of blood you’re losing there’, and they’re all like ‘Oh, crap, have I been getting cut all this time?!’ Dam, babysitting those kids are a pain…” He reached over for his glass, which was empty. Looking over to me, he tapped his empty glass. I gestured towards the bottle of whiskey at the side.

“Fill it yourself. C’mon, you’ve got hands. Use ‘em.” Adachi scowled and poured himself another glass. I chuckled at his expression. “Dam, I vouched my honor to get you out of Mitsuru’s grasp for a little get together, and I buy you whiskey, and then you get mad at me for not pouring you a new cup. Tohru Adachi, you are a hard man to please…” Adachi paused for a second, my words bouncing around in his befuddled mind, and then started chuckling as well.

“Well, well, well, what do you know? You might be right about that… Hahaha…” Taking a drink from my glass, I propped my chin up with my arm, feeling the alcohol take effect.

“Hehehehe…. Back to the babysitting, I totally get what you’re saying. You know how many times that Yukiko chick blew herself, and me, up before she learned how to make a flame wall? I mean, how on earth do you learn spells and not know how to control them? That’s like learning how to dive before you learn how to swim! And don’t even get me started on that Hanamura kid… Dam kid sped himself up and slashed up 20 Shadows in a row, only to focus so much on gloating that he crashed straight into that…. Bear-thing.” Hearing that, Adachi broke down in a laughing fit again, and I soon joined in.

We were in Saitou’s bar, having a little get-together. After a week of patrolling the streets for the Shadow Operatives, I requested a temporary release of Adachi so that we can drink together like old times. To my surprise, Mitsuru agreed to my request with the only stipulation being that I am accountable for both our actions. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she has Fuuka or Rise keep an eye on us for all evening.

“Yep, sounds like that brat… What a bunch of losers…” Adachi snorted before downing his glass. I looked at him sideways, grinning.

“But that kinda begs the question… How were you defeated by a bunch of ‘losers’ like them?” Adachi looked up from his glass and glared at me.

“Swarm tactics. They had seven combat members, and one support member. I just had me. You do the math.”

“But weren’t you ‘guided by the gods’, and ‘favored by that world’? I mean, from what I hear you had your own realm within that TV world. Couldn’t you have just sealed them out?”

“Shaddup!” Adachi slurred, raising a hand in an attempt to backhand me. I easily blocked the half-hearted blow. “They had Narukami, who had his own gods backing him. Have you seen that kid in action? He switches Personas faster than we switch TV channels!” Reaching to pour himself another glass, he found the bottle empty. “An’ we’re outta booze.”

“Way to switch the topic, detective.”

“We’re still outta booze…”

Sighing, I waved at Saitou and ordered a new bottle. As the bartender set the new bottle of whiskey down, I poured a glass for the drunken detective. He immediately drained half of it.

“Woah there, detective. I don’t want to deal with you having alcohol poisoning.”

“Heh, you might be the only one who’ll really mind.” The detective muttered to himself. The two of us sat in depressing silent for a while after that comment. “You and Narukami. Maybe Dojima as well…”

“Both Dojimas?” I asked. Adachi froze. I continued, too drunk to notice his change in demeanor. “You were always good with kids Adachi. Better with them then you’d admit to, and I’ll be dammed if you didn’t manage to get along with the young Nanako…” A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, and I spun around to see the detective grasping my shoulder in an iron tight grasp. He was shaking with emotion. Was it anger? Or sadness?

“Don’t… don’t talk about her anymore… Get along? Sure I got along with her… But I… I don’t deserve any of her compassion…. How could I? After all I did to her…”

I stared at the drunk detective, too shocked to say anything. Adachi always held his time in Inaba with pride and reveled in the chaos he created. So why would he be so torn up about the younger Dojima? I mean, sure she was swept into the whole mess, but… My eyes widened as a week old memory returned to my befuddled mind:

_“Tell me this Narukami, have you ever lost anyone close to you before?” The silverette’s eyes suddenly became a bit hollow, and he smiled a sad smile. I immediately backtracked._

_“Oh, I’m sorry I mentioned that. It was a rhetorical question, I never meant for it to bring back bad memories….” Narukami waved a hand absentmindedly and closed his eyes for a bit. When he opened them again, the hollowness in his gaze was gone._

_“Don’t sweat it. I didn’t lose someone, at least not permanently. There was just a time when I believed that a close family member has died because of my actions. She recovered remarkably, but the memory of that time still haunts me….”_

“So is that it then?” I murmured softly. “Your game of cat and mouse somehow pulled Nanako Dojima into its crosshairs, and she went for a field trip with Death because of that?” Adachi nodded, too choked up to speak. I leant back and took another drink of whiskey. Adachi started speaking in a halting voice next to me.

“When… when I saw her image upon the TV, my joy in the game was drained for the first time… I almost dived into the TV right there and then to save her myself. But that… that would bring my game to an end, now wouldn’t it? Hahaha… So I remained on standby. And I convinced myself that it didn’t matter, that once she grew up she would lose her innocence just like countless other bitches…”

“But you never truly did convince yourself, did you?” The detective shook his head at my observations, and drained another glass. “So that’s why you put so much effort into convicting Nametame… Not just to cover your ass, but also as your form of revenge… “

“We’re still human aren’t we? The will to love and hate. The will to create and destroy. The will to punish and protect. It’s basically what drives us all, even us cold-blooded killers.”

“I guess you’re right about that… Hehehe, for all your talk of the ridiculousness of bonds Adachi, you still bonded with Narukami, Dojima, and that Nanako kid while you were an active serial killer…”

“Yep. And strangely, those bonds didn’t break, even after I tore off my mask. What a hypocrite I turned out to be…” Chuckling slightly, Adachi lifted the glass to his mouth again, but paused, frowning at the glass.

“Say, Caius, you ordered whiskey, right?”

“Yeah, I always order whiskey. It’s more of a thing of habit now. Why, not good enough for you?”

“No, whiskey is fine.” Adachi lifted his glass and swirled the scarlet liquid within. “Red-colored whiskey, however, is a bit different…” I frowned and looked at my own glass. Sure enough, the liquid within was blood red. I sniffed it tentatively, and it still smelled like whiskey.

“Hey Saitou, I think there’s something wrong with your…” my voice trailed off as I noticed that I was talking to a coffin. Looking around, I noticed that everyone in the bar has transmogrified. “Jesus Christ, how drunk are we? We didn’t even notice the Dark Hour hit!” Reaching over, I grabbed the detective by the arm. “Come on now Adachi. We need to get back to Shadow Ops HQ, it’s the Dark Hour.”

“Wha, and just leave?” Adachi answered, slurring over his words. “An’ what’s gonna happen here? They’ll wake up and notice that we teleported? How would you explain that next time you come here?” I snarled under my breath and let go of him. Drunk as he was, he had a point. Since Saitou knows that we’re here, we can’t really leave when he’s transmogrified.

As I was sitting down, Adachi looked at his glass of blood-whiskey for a while, and took a tentative sip. Then he shrugged and took a larger gulp. Noticing me looking, he explained: “Tastes and smells exactly the same as normal whiskey. My guess is that the blood thing is just aesthetics.” Hearing that, I took a sip as well.

_‘Yep, this tastes like whiskey.’_

_‘Are you sure you want to trust the stuff Caius?’_

_“Chicot, I absorbed the essence of gemstones I pick up from the Dark Hour to heal sicknesses before you learned Amrita. I’ve drank sodas and eaten food found from the first two levels of Tartarus back when we were still stupid enough to venture in. I’m pretty sure that whatever this thing has in it, my body’s seen worse shit.”_

_‘Fair point.’_ Chicot suddenly tensed up. _‘Shadow at twelve o’ clock.’_

I swiveled around in my seat, scanning the bar. A light creaking from the corner of the bar caught my attention. Craning my neck, I managed to make out a Maya wrenching at a coffin lid. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed more Shadows leaking into the bar from various openings and cracks.

_‘They sense two inebriated Persona-users, pretty much food for the taking. You need to sober up, Caius.’_

_‘Of course I know that.’_ I lifted my evoker to my temple, slurring out the commands:

“Chicot! **Amrita** -” Before I can pull the trigger, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled the evoker from my head. Turning around, I saw Adachi holding my arm, grinning a lopsided grin. “What the-“

“C’mon…” the drunk detective almost pouted, “Fighting Shadows while sober is for pussies…” I looked at the detective in shock. Sensing my unease, Adachi staggered upright and faced me.

“I can totally fight… while drunk… I’ll prove it to you!” As he was talking, a King sneaked up behind him and pounced, scepter ready for a strike. I opened my mouth, about to warn Adachi about the incoming headache…

Only for him to dance to a side and trip the Shadow with a low sweep kick while drawing his revolver from his back pocket. While the Shadow lay on the ground, dazed, Adachi clutched his stomach, pointed at the Shadow, and started laughing his head off. I raised an eyebrow at his antics, but found myself grinning as well.

The King started to get up, but Adachi quickly shot it in the head three times. The Shadow collapsed into a heap and started dissolving. I found myself chuckling at the ridiculousness of the situation. Adachi spun back towards me in an exaggerated pose.

“See? I killed that one no problem! C’mon Caius, drunken Shadow killing! All the thrills and fun of Shadow killing, only combined with alcohol! We deserve something reckless and fun after that depressing heart-to-heart!”

“This is a terrible idea… alright, let’s do it. But let’s make it clear, if I so much see a single stool get overturned, I am immediately casting Amrita. Are we clear?”

“Crystal!” The drunk detective snapped into a mock salute, and then clutched his head as if in pain. Before I could ask what was going on, his face suddenly snapped up with his eyes wide open.

“Magatsu Izanagi! **Vorpal Blade**!” A blood-soaked figure wearing a trench coat appeared behind Adachi and swung a blade around. Countless slashes filled the bar, closely followed by a multitude of Shadow screams. Yet for all the Shadow carnage he wrought, not even a single stool was shifted by the attack.

_‘When did he become so proficient in pulling his punches?’_

_‘A Persona is the power of the mind. Despite all, you friend Adachi there did spend a whole year playing the role of a detective in a case where he was also the killer. He must be a lot more meticulous than he lets on, for such a façade to even work. It’s got to reflect on his Persona abilities in some way…’_ Caius offered his hypothesis. I shrugged.

 _‘Eh, either way I’m happy. And he does seem to be having the time of his life.’_ True enough, Adachi was pretty much bouncing all over the bar, laughing madly while he shoots, kicks and pistol-whips all the Shadows around him. 

_‘It is interesting that he summons his Persona the same way as Takaya.’_

_‘He has the roughly the same amount of sanity as Takaya does too. Wonder if that’s the reason?’_

_‘Caius, we aren’t exactly sane compared to them either…’_

_‘True.’_ As we were talking, Adachi summoned his Persona once more,

“ **Atom Smasher**!” Magastu Izanagi swung his blade around again, and slashes filled the room again. Only this time, more Shadows survived, and I felt the effects of fear on all the survivors. Adachi paused and looked at me as if expecting something. I rolled my eyes and pointed my evoker to my head.

“ **Ghastly Wail.** ” At a scream from Chicot, the bar once again filled with the screams of dying Shadows. Adachi started laughing like a delighted child, and I started chuckling as well. Almost skipping back to his seat on the bar, Adachi grabbed two shot glasses that were hanging from a rack on the bar and filled them both with whiskey, passing me one.

“Drinking game! Every time Adachi and Caius tag teams a Shadow, take a shot!” After declaring that, the detective downed his glass in one go, then looked at me with wide eyes.

“This is the point where the night goes straight to shit, right?” I paused for a while, and then downed my whiskey just like Adachi. Placing down the glass, I stood up and pulled the Lupara out of my bag. “Bring. It. On.” Adachi beamed.

 _‘Oh boy. This is not going to end well…’_ Chicot lamented in my head.

Facing the bar that was slowly filling up with Shadows, the two of us tensed, and then charged headfirst into the group of Shadows, unleashing carnage all around us. Swaying around, I unloaded two buckshots into two separate Shadows, laughing drunkenly as I did so. A third Maya pounced at me from behind, a mouth with fangs forming from the black goo above my shoulder. Spinning around, I rammed the butt of the Lupara into the mask of the Maya, sending it tumbling back into a pile.

“Head’s up!” Hearing Adachi’s voice, I looked back and barely ducked in time as the detective basically leapfrogged over me. Pointing his gun forward, Adachi let out a three shot burst from his revolver, killing the Shadow quickly. Spinning around, he raised an open palm to me. “High five!”

Mentally face-palming, I obliged him, and then quickly reloaded my gun while kicking another Shadow into its buddies. When I looked up, I saw Adachi holding a full shot glass in front of my face while draining another in his other hand. Seeing my confused expression, the detective raised an eyebrow.

“What? Did ya… forget? Drinking game! We tag teamed that…. Shadow-thingymajig! Take a shot bro, take a… hic… shot!” Grabbing the shot glass, I downed it in one go, grimacing as the liquid burned its way down my throat. Handing the glass back to Adachi, I hefted the gun in my hand.

“Get those glasses back to the bar table, I’ll…. cover your back.” The drunken detective chuckled and started wobbling back to the bar.

“You’d better do that, or Mitsuru-san would…. Execute your ass…” We both shared a laugh. Even amongst those who were not part of SEES, the prototype group of the Shadow Ops, the Kirijo heiress’ natural affinity for “executions” was well known.  As Adachi made his sluggish way towards the bar, two Mayas lunged at him. Lifting my gun, I pointed lazily at the Shadows and let out two shots, one for each Maya. With each shot, the Shadows were bounced back to where they sprang from, fizzling out as they fell.

 Once Adachi got to the bar, a Gigas suddenly sprung up from behind the bar, swinging a giant fist towards the detective, knocking him back. As he fell, Adachi drew his revolver and let out a quick burst of shots towards the Shadow, pushing it back. Then his gun clicked. The cylinder was empty. Having recovered its footings, the Gigas reared its ugly head once more.

 _Oh no you don’t!_ Quickly drawing my dagger, I allowed it to fly from my hands like a silver arrow, sinking deep into the Giga’s forehead. As the Shadow died, Adachi quickly reloaded his revolver, and then struggled to his feet. Placing the shot glasses, which had miraculously survived the clash, onto the bar table, the detective quickly filled both with whiskey and then waved a hand at me.

“Heyyyyyy…! We tag teamed another one! C’monnnnn Caius…. Another shot!”

Shaking my head, I trudged over towards the bar.

_The hangover tomorrow is going to be a nightmare…_

* * *

 

Almost an hour later, Adachi and I were back at the bar table, sitting next to each other and surveying the Shadow carnage that surrounded us. By some work of miracle, the bar itself hasn’t sustained any noticeable damage, and somehow I was still sober enough to loot all the Shadows.

_‘No Caius, it wasn’t a miracle that you were sober enough to do that. 15 minutes in the game you secretly used Amrita on yourself, remember?’_

_‘Ohhh… yeah. So that happened… Well, for someone who’s had Amrita casted on him, I’m wasted as fuck….’_

_‘You don’t say? You must’ve taken ten shots since then…’_

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a Maya start to phase through the wall, took a look at all the carnage, and immediately backed out twice as fast. Adachi started to get up, but I placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him down. The detective didn’t even seem to notice, but flailed his arms around.

“Come back here… ya coward Shadow… imma suiken your ass straight ta hell!”

“Sit down Adachi… you’re drunk…” As I held the drunk Adachi down, I flipped open my mechanical pocket watch and checked the time. “Well, look at the time, we’ve got five minutes before the Dark Hour ends… Wait, do you hear me?” Turning the detective around so that he faced the bar table, I tried to prop him up in some acceptable fashion. “We’ve got 5 minutes to get ready, cos we need to pretend the last hour didn’t happen. You hear me bro?” He mumbled in some incoherent manner which I took for an affirmative. I sat down next to him, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to focus my thoughts into one, coherent line.

The hubbub of a bar suddenly returned. The Dark Hour was officially over. Opening my eyes, I sighed in relief as nobody seemed to notice our brief little foray into the Dark Hour. Looking next to me, I saw Adachi pretty much out cold at my side. Chuckling, I left the money for the two bottles of whiskey on the bar table, waved to Saitou, and started making my way out with Adachi passed out on my shoulder.

* * *

 

_Saitou POV_

The bartender watched the Caius leave, supporting his friend on his shoulder. That wasn’t a strange sight here in the bar. But the sheer speed in which they cleared the second bottle of whiskey had been somewhat unnerving. Shrugging to himself, Saitou resumed cleaning the various leftover glasses.

_Then again, they are hardly the strangest guests I have tonight…._

With that thought, he glanced over at the corner of the bar, where a young woman with chin length blonde hair wearing a velvet blue dress was seated, sipping at her martini. Her yellow eyes were wide and brimming with interest as she looked at the backs of Caius and his friend.

As the door clicked shut, the smallest of smiles could be seen forming on her lips.

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	15. Chapter 15

_Inner thoughts and flashbacks_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands issued to Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC…

* * *

 

I woke up with a raging headache. Massaging my left temple, I reached out with my other hand to find my evoker. Finding it, I pointed it to my temple and pulled the trigger.

“Chicot, **Amrita**.” As the soothing wave washed over me, I felt most of the headache disappear, but still leaving a dull throb. I frowned at the lingering headache.

_‘Losing your touch, Chicot? It used to be that you can wipe a hangover away in an instant…’_

_‘It used to be that you wouldn’t drink two bottles of whiskey in two hours, and would cast Amrita before fighting an army of Shadows.’_

_‘Hehe, I guess you’re right.”_ Getting up from my bed, I booted up my laptop while setting some tea brewing. Briefly glancing at the frosted surface of the kitchen counter, I sighed as the ice sublimated.

_‘How long has this been going on? I barely remember the nightmares anymore, but I’m sure they’re still there. I just adapted. But you’re still randomly freezing up my apartment.’_

_‘Ever since Project Prometheus. And you are aware that it’s because you’re sending subconscious distress signals while asleep, right?’_

_‘That’s just a hypothesis. Granted, our hypothesis usually makes sense and serves most practical purposes, but still…’_ Pouring myself a cup of tea, I took a sip. _‘Hopefully this would help with the hangover…’_

 _‘Hey, check it out. You’ve got mail.’_ Looking over at my laptop, I noticed the e-mail icon flashing. Clicking on it, the new message was displayed.

“Attention all Shadow Operatives,

There will be an emergency meeting today at midnight in the Shadow Operatives HQ. Attendance is required.

Signed: Mitsuru Kirijo”

_‘Hmph. An emergency meeting, during the Dark Hour? Well played Mitsuru-san. Well played…’_

_‘What do you think this is about?’_

_‘I am thou, and thou art I. Chicot, you share my mind. What the hell do you think I think this is about?’_ After a brief pause, the both of us said simultaneously:

_‘Project Prometheus….’_

* * *

 

11:45 pm. Once again I stood in front of the ridiculously large palace that serves as the Shadow Operative’s HQ. Knocking at the doors, I was greeted by one of the maids and led to the giant dance floor where the party was held a week ago. Without the party lights and massive tables of food, the giant room looks hollow. The few people standing on the dance floor only serves to accentuate the emptiness of the hall.

“Doesn’t quite look the same, right?” A voice drawled out at my side. I turned around to see Adachi lounging at my side. He was grinning his lopsided smile at me just like normal, despite the abnormal amount of alcohol he consumed the night before.

“Dude, how can you look so calm and composed right now? I mean, you’ve gotta have a raging headache after last night. Hell, your liver must look like the surface of Mars right now.” Adachi just looked at me sideways, smiling one of his signature smiles.

“That’s my secret. I always have a headache.” I chuckled at his response.

“You have been watching too many Hollywood movies. But I agree, who wouldn’t have a headache working with these people? I mean, things are still nice when we’re being strictly professional and just doing our jobs, but once I say something that disagrees with them all hell breaks loose. Can’t they just agree to disagree?”

“Nope. They are completely convinced that theirs is the right way to live, and they won’t be satisfied until they shove their ‘morals’ down your throat.” The amused smile on Adachi’s face softened his insult. I chuckled at his expression.

“Sounds like half the people on the internet… Hehehe, at least those people argue with some form of logic…” This time, it was Adachi’s turn to chuckle.

“Bro, you have not been working with them long enough. The last time we talked about morals, it ended in a shouting match.”

“When was that?”

“A year ago or so.”

“That was when you were still in Inaba right? So, how did the serial killer plead his case with the Inaba Scoobies?” Adachi scowled and I smiled. “I see. If I had to guess, you weren’t exactly arguing according to logic either, eh? I’ll bet that it ended with you yelling at them to shut up.” Adachi’s scowl deepened.

“Shut up.” The detective muttered under his breath. I cracked out a smile.

Before our banter can continue, the voice of a certain Kirijo rang through the halls.

“Welcome, Shadow Operatives. The meeting time is almost here, so shall we relocate to one of the conference rooms?” I chuckled as the rest of the Shadow Operatives filed out of the room, and made a mock bow in Adachi’s direction.

“Shall we then?”

“Tch. Might as well.” The detective smirked and started following everyone else, with me at his side.

We walked down the dark corridor towards the conference room. The hollow footsteps of the whole group echoed down the dimly lit halls. As we reached the double doors of the conference room, the Dark Hour kicked in.

As the eerie green hue settled in around us, I once more felt the phantom touches of the loose straitjacket straps. Without my consent, the corners of my mouth started turning upwards into a hybrid of a snarl and a maniacal smile. Chicot shifted in the back of my mind, clearly antsy for action. My left hand twitched towards the direction of my evoker.

Quickly catching myself, I grit my teeth and clenched my fists. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and released it slowly. As the air slowly left my lungs, I felt my heartbeat slow down and the tension leave my body. Opening my eyes, I saw that Fuuka and Rise were both glancing around nervously, but neither of them seemed to be focused on me. Before I can make any other observations, Mitsuru opened the doors to the conference room and we started to pour in. By this time I noticed there was a face that I didn’t recognize in the group.

The man stood next to Mitsuru. He had cropped black hair and a goatee, wore a black suit and was holding a briefcase. He had just as much of an air of command around him as the heiress beside him but his most noticeable trait was a glowing green ring on his right middle finger. As the rest of the Shadow Operatives took a seat, Mitsuru stepped forward.

“First, some introductions are necessary. This man here,” she gestured towards the man, “is a representative from the National Police.” The representative nodded in response. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shirogane’s eyes light up in recognition, and Labrys grit her teeth in anger. Mitsuru continued:

“He’s here with the update on Project Prometheus that we requested from the National Police. So if you can all give him your full undivided attention for a while.”

Nodding to Misturu, the representative walked forward and started speaking:

“Greetings Shadow Operatives. I am from the National Police, and while our two organizations has had their disagreement in the past,” at this point his eyes darted briefly first at Shirogane then at Labrys, “we are now coming with the sincerest intentions of cooperation. Now, for my report:

“In recent months there was an ever slight increase in death rates around some major cities. Those deaths were not given much heed, due to the identity of those deceased. Of those who died there were delinquents who ran away from home, gang members, homeless people, etc. As such, these additional deaths were chalked up to an increase of violent crimes and not linked to any Shadow related activity.

“But this view became challenged when a week ago we uncovered a body of a homeless man that showed no cause of death. This sparked a series of investigations regarding all the additional deaths that occurred before. By redoing the autopsies on previous victims, it has shown that many of the established reasons of death were actually inflicted upon the victim immediately after brain death. This difference was discovered by a highly experienced coroner, and would have been lost to any other.” As the representative talked, he opened his briefcase and pulled out a map.

“As such, we started to suspect Shadow related activity, since the last known case of large amounts of death without cause was in a Shadow-related serial murder case.” With those words the representative looked pointedly at Adachi, who just grinned lazily and waved. The representative’s gaze then fixed on me for a split second before focusing on the map he just spread out on the table. “We’ve traced out all the cities where known cases of such death has occurred, and most of them are centered on Samaru city, right here.” He points a place on the map. I saw Mitsuru stiffen with tension. Apparently the National Police representative also noticed that.

“I see that you have had your own doubts about Samaru City yourself Kirijo. Very well, I am only here as a messenger, and I have delivered my message. The rest is up to you Shadow Operatives. The higher echelons of the National Police have high hopes for your results.” Packing up his map into the briefcase, the man walked into a corner of the room and tucked his briefcase under one armpit. Then he started to pull his glowing ring off.

Before I could even wonder what he was trying to do, the ring slipped off his finger and landed on the floor with an audible clink. Almost immediately the man that was standing in front of us was replaced with a standing coffin. A few gasps came from the gathered Shadow Operatives at his sudden transmogrification. Mitsuru silently picked up the dropped ring and pocketed it.

“Unlike us, he is not a Persona-user, nor does he wish to be permanently exposed to the Dark Hour. So I lent him this ring that was confiscated from the Kirijo Ergo Labs that can allow him to be active in the Dark Hour as long as he wears it. Now let us discuss Samaru City. Kujikawa, Yamagishi, have either of you detected anything in the region?”

Rise shook her head, while Fuuka looked at Mitsuru apologetically.

“I’m afraid not Mitsuru-san. Whatever they’re doing at Samaru City, it’s either non Shadow-related or really well concealed. Now that I think of it, that has been a trait of Project Prometheus for a long time. We will need to travel to Samaru City in order to get a better reading.”

“Didn’t you two detect a spike a Shadow activity in Tokyo that led to our raid of the Tokyo branch?” Junpei interjected, “Can you feel anything similar to that in this case?”

“Uhhh… yeah, about that…” Rise laughed embarrassedly to herself while scratching the back of her head, “After Caius joined up we discovered that the spike of Shadow activity that we detected was just Caius using his Persona before he met us. So…. Yeah, the spike in activity is completely unrelated to Project Prometheus, and we just got lucky that time…” I raised an eyebrow in amusement to that statement.

“Huh. Was I stirring up that much of a wave that I caused a disturbance in the Force? I’m flattered.”

“No, not really. I mean in hindsight we understood that the spike could’ve been caused by just one veteran Persona-user, but it was the first clue we’ve got in ages, so we clung on to it.” Rise quickly explained. I hung my head in mock disappointment. The idol continued on: “Anyway, right now I would suggest that Fuuka-san and I go to Sumaru City and scan the city there. I am confident that if we do that then we will be able to find out whether or not Project Prometheus is there or not.”

“That seems to be the best option. But I would rather send out a full team of field agents to Sumaru city to deal with this.” Seeing our surprised expressions, Mitsuru continued, “Sumaru city has its own Shadow-related history. The prime business partner to the Kirijo Group, the Nanjo Group, has had its own dabbling in Personas and Shadows as well. In fact, the current leader of the Nanjo Group, Kei Nanjo, is a powerful Persona-user himself and was involved in a few Shadow-related crisis. I’ve spoken to Nanjo before on the topic of Shadows. Apparently two major Shadow crisis occurred in Sumaru city, the scope of which none of us can even imagine.”

“Really? We were preventing the end of the world back then. I think it’s not as bad as you describe.” Junpei jokingly said. A few of the Shadow Operatives murmured in agreement, and Mitsuru smiled.

“In any other case I would agree with you. But in this case, I would stand with Nanjo. The powers he described could’ve put Erebus and Nyx into shame. But enough of that. You can now see why I have almost no doubt that what’s happening in Sumaru City is Shadow-related. The only question is whether or not it is related to Project Prometheus. Either way, as the police sub-department responsible for dealing with Shadow activity, we need to look into this. So I am redirecting a team of field agents to Sumaru City.”

“Well, maybe it isn’t my place to say…” Narukami began, and Mitsuru nodded for him to continue. “But doesn’t it seem risky to send only a team of field agents into team city? I mean, the last time it took two thirds of us to raid the Tokyo branch, so I think it would be better if we sent the same amount this time.”

“Wait a second… You said that it took two thirds of you guys to take down the Tokyo branch?” I interjected. Mitsuru nodded, and I let out a bark of laughter. “If Sumaru City holds a major branch for Project Prometheus, you definitely would want to bring every single combat personal to the raid. The Tokyo branch was granted to Watanabe only because he helped fund Project Prometheus, and from Watanabe’s last words before I snuffed him, he wasn’t 100% loyal to the Project either. That means the Tokyo branch is one of the weakest branches, if not the weakest branch, or else the Project wouldn’t let someone like Watanabe lead it.

“So you get where I’m coming from, right? If you guys needed two thirds of your forces to raid one of the weakest branches, then it would be obvious that you need everyone before you try and tackle another branch. Don’t ‘cha think?” Narukami nodded in agreement, but Hanamura next to him seems suspicious.

“How are we to know that that’s true? You have only been working with us for a week, and you still have quite a suspicious background. How can we trust a murderer’s word, especially when he’s telling us to be reckless and commit to an all-out attack?” He scoffs at me. I grinned lazily.

“I see. Still caught up on the fact that I’m a murderer, huh?”

“Of course I am! You admit to killing people in cold blood! How can I not be appalled and caught up by this? You are a murderer who’s still walking free, and I have no idea why Kirijo-san decided to hire you!” Hanamura exploded. Narukami looked somewhat embarrassed and tugged at Hanamura’s back.

“Yosuke, maybe you should-” Before he can finish his sentence, Hanamura spun around and yelled at Narukami as well.

“Don’t you ‘Yosuke’ me Yu! He is worse than Adachi because Adachi at least paid for his crimes, in some shape or form, and is repentant. This son of a bitch doesn’t even care for the people who he killed in the past. Not even a friggin apology or anything at all! How can I work with this… crazy lunatic?! I say we should make him pay for his crimes before we do anything else!”

“Would losing my parents in a freak accident count as ‘paying’? Would being used as an experiment control count as ‘paying’? Would living my whole childhood knowing that I could die the next day count as ‘paying’?” I snapped at Hanamura. “Believe me kid, if there was any other way to survive, the 12 year old me would have embraced it. Do you think it was easy, claiming a human life at the age of 12? To make things worse, I had to do it empty handed, so I was forced to feel my first victim’s pulse fade out under my fingers. But if I haven’t done that, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.  But I digress. I believe we have signed a contract. I never violate a contract unless my employer does so first. You can trust my word when it comes to Project Prometheus.”

“So you say.” Hanamura still insisted. “But my point still stands. I, we, can’t trust a murderer.”

“Sure you can. Why? Because you’ve got no choice. I am the only one here who’s had extensive contact with Watanabe, and interacted with Project Prometheus in a non-combat way. Grow up Hanamura, now that I’m in your life there will be plenty of times when you have no other choice but to trust me.”

“You make it sound so easy, trusting those who could kill you without a second thought.” Sarcasm dripped deep in Hanamura’s voice.

“It will be. I got used to it ages ago. Strega had an understanding between us that a quick death is better than a life of suffering, and a promise that we will mercy-kill each other when all hope is lost. Also, I believe that all of you have heard of name Shuji Ikutsuki before?” Almost all the Shadow Operatives nodded their heads. I raised an eyebrow.

“After my parent were killed in the Port Island Explosion 13 years ago, he adopted me.” This statement elicited several gasps from my audience. I smiled lazily at their response. “Yeah, it was exactly what you guys think. Chicot had emerged roughly the same time as that incident, and Ikutsuki caught up on that. I was his ward in name, but in reality I was merely the control group for the ongoing experiments that gave birth to the rest of Strega.

“And then when it turned out that the even the ‘successful’ artificial Personas were far too malevolent to control without the suppressants, he just decided to terminate the program. Along with all of the subjects and control. He just didn’t bank on the fact that his termination orders would trigger so much fear and anger within us that, for a few minutes, the four of us who would later form Strega could summon our Personas at will. Takaya later went on and mastered the skill, but the rest of us never bothered.

“So we all barely escaped with our lives, and managed to salvage a few evokers on the way out. After a year or two of living as street urchins, we established ourselves as guns for hire. Then, lo and behold, in walks Ikutsuki again, this time representing the Kirijo group with the largest contract we’ve ever seen. Of course, all of us still hated his guts, but we accepted and did his dirty work because that meant not going hungry for over two months. He paid up after the contract was fulfilled and didn’t try anything weird, and then he showed up a month later with another contract. Over time, we developed a pretty heathy business relationship of mutual trust.

“And you know what? I even felt a bit sad after hearing that the guy died from a fall 3 years ago. I assume it had something to do with you guys, and knowing him the bastard probably deserved it three times over. But still, we formed a bond. Can you believe that? A sadist mad scientist and his runaway experiments….” I fell silent for a moment, and then chuckled at the shocked expression in Hanamura’s eyes.

“Why so shocked, boy? Did you really think that the simple act of murder would erase a person’s humanity? No. And that’s what makes murderers so scary. We are not a different breed that you can dehumanize. No, we are your sons, your husbands, your best friends, and if you dare look closely at us, you would find a kindred spirit looking back at you from the depths of the void, with the only thing separating you and him being sheer dumb luck.

“So to answer your initial question, Hanamura, yes, you can trust me on this. The Tokyo branch is definitely not something that Project Prometheus considered important. This thing in Samaru City though… you will do well to throw everything you’ve got at it if you want to take it down with minimal causalities. That is my opinion on this subject-matter.” Hanamura looked like he was about to say more, but Mitsuru cleared her throat.

“That is enough. We have driven off topic for far too long. I will be taking Caius’ advice and sending in a field agents to Sumaru City. As he said before, he is our chief source of information regarding Project Prometheus, so even if he has a questionable background, his word is still better than nothing. We will meet in front of this building two days from now at noon for our transport to Sumaru City. Please prepare yourself before then. Meeting adjourned.”

I stood up with the rest of the Shadow Operatives and started walking out of the room. I felt the corners of my lips tugging up, and a psychotic smirk started forming on my face.

_Sumaru City…. A large group of Persona-users in battle against Shadows and humans…. Why, this is starting to feel like my old Strega days…._

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	16. Chapter 16

_Flashbacks and inner thoughts_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Commands and Moves**

Disclaimer: Look, if I owned Persona or anything other than the OC, I wouldn’t have to write this line. So in conclusion, I only own the OC.

* * *

 

I stepped off the limo, breathing in the fresh air and stretching out my legs. A giant building loomed in front of me, with “Hotel Pleiades” printed on the front in golden words. Turning around, I beheld the sight of the coastline city. Skyscrapers dotted the horizons in an impressive display of modern architecture, as the sound of the sea rumbled from a distance. The setting sun can be seen in a distance, painting everything a hue of orange.

_‘Sumaru City… A magnificent sight, isn’t it Chicot?’_

_‘Of course. We’re in front of a five star hotel, so they would obviously show the most beautiful side of the city. But as with all cities, the more beautiful the bright side…’_

_‘…The more grotesque the dark side. But be honest with me Chicot, wasn’t that always good news for people like us?’_

_‘Hehehe... I guess you’re right.’_ As the two of us were talking, the rest of the Shadow Operatives also left the limo, and most of them were staring wide-eyed at the giant hotel in front of us.

“Woah… This is so huge! And I thought that inn at Port Island was large….” Chie’s eyes were practically popping out.

“Do we really have to mention that place?” Yosuke paused his staring long enough to comment in an exasperated tone. “I have enough bad memories already…”

“Oh, oh, I know, it’s that place where Yosuke and Kanji-” The bear thing named Teddie started jumping up and down before a very angry Tatsumi backhanded him.

“Shut it, Bear!” Teddie flew back and rolled down the lane until he crashed into a trash can. Somehow unfazed by that, he immediately sprang back up and started pouting.

“Kanji-----! You’re so mean! Sensei! Kanji is bullying me!” Teddie immediately started running in the direction of Narukami, who seemed quite content to just stand with Shirogane at the sidelines but now have to deal with the screaming mascot bear.

“Jeez, just looking at them gives me a headache.” Adachi voice came from behind me. Turning around, I found the detective looking at the Shadow Operative’s antics with a mocking smile.

“You caused me many a headache when I was carrying you back to the Shadow Ops HQ from Saitou’s bar. And the fact that Amrita didn’t seem to have much effect didn’t really help…”

“What? You casted Amrita on me? Jerkass. And here I was, proud of my liver for handling all the alcohol without a hangover….”

As we were bantering, Mitsuru stepped out of the car and addressed all the Shadow Operatives.

“Everyone, we will meet at the lobby at midnight. Until then, I have booked rooms for everyone, and we should all stay in the hotel area and prepare until the time is here.” A groan rose up from some of the Shadow Operatives, and Mitsuru cracked a smile. “It’s only for one afternoon, and we can have a full day for fun after we finished our business here. Kikuno here have already checked us in, and she will be handing out your room keys to you now. Alright then, dismissed.”

As the Shadow Operatives scattered, I received my room card from Mitsuru’s maid, and headed towards into the hotel, surrounded by the chattering Shadow Ops. Looking up at a plaque that proudly displayed the hotel’s status as a five-star hotel, I snorted to myself.

_‘It’s a five-star hotel, but it really has nothing when compared to the Shadow Operative’s HQ.’_

_‘Hey, don’t diss the commoners.’_ Chicot rebutted, but he was on the verge of laughing just as I was.

When we got to our room though, I let out a low whistle. A king sized bed was in the center of the room, with an armchair near the window. A giant TV hung from the wall in front of a sofa that can easily accommodate four people, and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket sat on the coffee desk between the sofa and TV, with four glasses surrounding it. There was a note on the bucket saying that the wine was a gift from the hotel to us. Probably because we booked so many rooms at once. At the side of the room, there was a bathroom with a nice shower and bathtub within.

_‘Okay… I’m impressed.’_

_‘You’d better be, Caius. It took a lot of luck and fortitude so that your ghetto ass could be standing in this room now.’_

_‘Okay Chicot, who’s dissing the commoners again?’_ Chicot laughed heartily at my question, and I soon joined in. Throwing my duffel bag onto the floor, I scooped out a fresh change of clothes before heading to the showers.

_‘These showers better be as good as they look…’_

* * *

 

Later that night, I laid out my full armory on the bed. Taking a sip of wine from one of the glasses, I looked at my freshly maintained Lupara and dagger on the side of the bed, along with the gun belt filled with carefully color coded gem shots. Normal buckshots were stacked in a leather pouch which was also strapped onto the belt.

In the middle of the bed was a vest made from boiled leather and lined with chainmail. The Barbaric Bracers lay right next to the vest, and a metal groin protector gleamed on the opposite side.

 _‘I still don’t get the groin protector.’_ Chicot muttered in my mind.

_‘That’s because you are always in spirit form. I can accept any other injury, but there’s no way in hell I would allow myself to get hit in the junk.’_

_‘You’ve got no helmet. Surely your head would be a higher priority?’_

_‘The thing about my head is that if I get hit hard there with a helmet on, I would still get a severe concussion. Better to leave the head unburdened so that I can duck and weave better.’_

_‘Are you sure this is not a psychological thing shared between males?’_

_‘Shut up. You have never been kicked in the nuts before. In fact, I’m not even sure whether you have nuts to be kicked.’_

_‘Oh they’re there. Just not in physical form.’_

_‘My point still stands. They can’t get kicked.’_ Ending the increasingly ridiculous conversation, I stripped down to my undergarments and started putting on the various pieces of armor. The groin protector went to the obvious location, and a pair of study jeans with extra padded knees went over it. I strapped on the Barbaric Bracers, and then turned to the leather vest.

I shivered slightly as the cold leather touched my bare chest. Taking a deep breath to expand my chest, I held my breath as I strapped on the vest as tight as it would go, and then released it. This way the vest would be both form-fitting and loose enough for me to breathe normally. I hopped in place a few times to test the extra weight. Satisfied with the results, I pulled on a black hoodie and strapped on the gun belt.

The pouch of lead buck shots hung at the back, the Lupara was strapped to my right leg in a holster, while the evoker holster was on the left. The dagger was strapped on my chest diagonally for a quick draw. I looked up at the clock. 11:45 pm.

_Tch. Still 15 minutes to go. I guess I’ll just have to wait a bit then…_

As I sat down, I heard a knock on the door. Through the cat eye I saw the lopsided grin of a familiar serial killer. I opened the door and quickly ushered him in before any passerby could accidently catch a glimpse of me being armed to the teeth. Adachi turned around and looked at me up and down.

“Wow. You look fit for war.”

“Hmph. I’ll only get my paycheck if I survive, so I have every intention of doing that.”

“Hmm… Interesting thought….” Adachi turned around and walked into my room. As he passed by the TV, he reached out a hand and brushed it against the screen, leaving a trail of light ripples. “Tell me Caius, how many casualties do you think?”

“For the total annihilation of the Sumaru City base? I don’t know. I didn’t face Watanabe’s Shadow Guardians last time.” Walking over to the TV, I tapped a screen with a finger and watched the resulting ripples with interest.

“Neither did I. They only enlisted me as an auxiliary unit after you outsmarted them. But what do you think?”

“There will definitely be death.” I casually commented as I poured out a new glass of wine and handed it to Adachi. He took it and took a sip. “Only fools would imagine that they can change the world without bleeding themselves.”

“The Investigation Team did. They defeated me and a Goddess without any causalities. They created a miracle.” Adachi took another sip of his glass of wine. I raised an eyebrow at his tone of voice. It sounded… almost like a child wishing a hopeless wish. “I don’t know. Between them and me, we went past many a crisis with no deaths. So many, that I’m starting to feel uneasy about it. Is it wrong for me to hope that we’ll do so again?”

“No, it’s not.” I took another sip of wine. “But we’re not dealing with Shadows, Gods, or teenagers with Messiah-complexes this time around. In every other situation that the Shadow Operatives have encountered before, no matter how dire, their opposition has had some reason to keep them alive. Be it to harvest their Personas, or as a social experiment, or just because the evil has not awoken yet.

“But this time, this time we can safely bet that our opponents would be served best if we die ASAP. We are fighting someone who most likely thinks similar to Ikutsuki. And whoever they are, they do not need, nor would they want, us alive.”

A silence fell as both of us contemplated tonight’s raid and what it would result in. Adachi sat down on the couch and looked at the ceiling for a bit.

“You said that they wanted to snatch our Personas?”

“I don’t know if they perfected the technology, and I’m really not sure if I want to find out, but yeah. That’s what they want.”

 “Huh… Caius, how long as Chicot been with you?” I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question.

“For 13 years. Why?”

“Wow. I bet you don’t even remember what it’s like to be the only consciousness in your mind. Heh, Magatsu has only been with me for two years, but he’s pretty much family now…” At the mention of his name, Adachi’s Persona materialized behind him. As if resonating with the other Persona, I felt Chicot stand behind me as well. Adachi looked up at Magatsu and placed a hand on the Persona’s blade. “He’s the best thing that happened to me in a long time. And he’s mine. He’s my sub-consciousness, my id. Nobody else’s. I would die before I allow him to be taken from me.”

“I hear you. If not for Chicot, I would’ve gone insane a long time ago. Although, considering that he is a part of me and I talk with him all the time, I might’ve already gone mad…” Both of us, and our Persona, chuckled at my little joke. Adachi then leaned back and looked at Magastu again.

As both our Persona slowly faded away, I heard the detective mutter quietly, as if to himself: “If Magatsu gets captured….” I drained my glass of wine and placed the glass on the table with a loud clink.

“Not until all hope is lost, Adachi. Not until all hope is lost.” Leaning back, I looked at the clock. Half a minute until the Dark Hour. “We should get going, detective. It’s almost meeting time.”

* * *

 

We met the rest of the Shadow Operatives in the lobby. The green hue of the Dark Hour casted everyone in a ghastly light. Some of the Shadow Operatives, like Narukami and Mitsuru, greeted us curtly when Adachi and I arrived. Others, like Junpei and Yosuke, seemed to be ignoring us with every fiber in their being.

After we joined the group, Mitsuru turned to Rise and Fuuka.

“I think that makes everyone. Can you two start the scan now?”

Nodding, the two sensory-types summoned their personas together. Juno appeared, encasing both Rise and Fuuka within the orb under its torso, while Kouzeon embraced Juno from behind and pointed its telescope head towards the skies. Numerous rings encased both of them, with spheres running along the rings like planets orbiting the sun.

I felt my hair stand on end as an invisible wave of probing energy washed over me. After a while, both sensory types spoke up in an oddly synchronized voice.

“This city is strange. Despite it being in the real world, it feels oddly similar to the TV world. Shadow and Persona abilities seems to be amplified here. What on earth happened here?” After a pause, they spoke again. “We have found it. A huge spike of Shadow activity in the Hirasaka Ward.”

“Is it possible in any way that it is spontaneous Shadow activity?” Mitsuru inquired.

“No, we are positive. If this was caused by normal Shadows, the whole town would be drowning in them by now. This is definitely something unnaturally strong.” Mitsuru nodded as the two Personas disappeared, and then gestured to the limo waiting outside the hotel.

“The car has been modified to function in the Dark Hour. Kujikawa, Yamagishi, it’ll be up to you two to provide navigations to Kikuno so she can drive us there.”

As we climbed into the car, I anticipated an uncomfortable journey. I was right. Even though the car was big enough for everyone to have space to spare and traffic problems didn’t exist, there was just too much tension within the car for anything to be remotely comfortable. It seems that I wasn’t alone on this opinion since once Rise announced that we were there, a collective sigh of relief arose.

In front of us loomed a dark school building, clearly abandoned, the battered sign next to it displaying it as “Kasugayama High School”. Once all of us were out of the car, Fuuka and Rise summoned their Personas again and started another scan.

“We sense immense Shadow activity underground… There is a large empty space underneath the school. I believe that is where the Shadow activity stems from. But we’re also sensing another source of power from the main building complex as well. We need to be careful, since is most likely an ambush. There’s only one entrance in and out of the underground space.” As their Personas dematerialized, the two sensory types looked at Mitsuru and Narukami.

“Since there’s only one entrance, I think it would be meaningless to split into teams. Don’t you agree Mitsuru-san?”

“Yes. As much as I detest the idea, it seems that our only option is a full frontal assault. Everyone, get ready.”

There was a general sound of metal against metal as numerous blades were unsheathed. I drew the Lupara and broke open the barrel to check that it was loaded. Satisfied, I closed the gun and rested it on my shoulder. Seeing that everyone was ready, Mitsuru nodded and waved a hand for us to advance.

As a group, we started jogging into the school, Narukami at the lead with Mitsuru and Akihiko bringing up the rear. Rise and Fuuka were in the middle of the group, at the most well protected location. The long abandoned halls echoed with our footsteps as we passed through several classrooms.

_‘I don’t like this.’_

_‘Yeah Chicot, I totally get what you’re saying. This lack of resistance is just too ominous. Hopefully it’s  because they got the location wrong…’_

_‘You know you’re in deep shit when you start wishing that your navigation member got the location wrong…’_ The two of us shared a chuckle at that.

By then, we have already passed through most of the school. Coming at a double door, Narukami raised his hand to signal a halt. Turning around, he looked at Rise, who quickly responded to the unasked question.

“Behind this should be an open space of some sort with the lesser source of Shadow energy. After that there is some sort of entrance that leads underground to the larger source of energy. I think we’ll need to fight after opening that door.” Nodding, Narukami stood up straight and looked at all of us.

“Is everyone ready?” A general murmur of the affirmative arose. Smiling slightly, Narukami spin around and kicked the double door open, and we poured into the assembly hall.

Like the rest of the school, the assembly hall was lit only by the green hue of the Dark Hour. It looked like your usual assembly hall, only with a few years of abandonment and neglect. Cracked and molding folding chairs were scattered all over the ground. The wooden lecture stand on the stadium was rotting, and the microphone lay on the ground on a side, the wires that would connect it to a set of speakers severed and frayed. The whole place reeked of desolation.

The part which differed this hall from a normal neglected room was three giant glass tanks that sat along one side of the room. They were filled with a liquid of some sort, and within the murky darkness of the liquid of each of the tanks lay a shadowy figure. With the current lighting it was extremely hard to tell what they were.

“Uhggggg….” A moan of pain drew our attention. Rise was doubled over, her hands holding her head while Fuuka tried to comfort her. But the pained expression on Fuuka’s face shows that whatever’s assailing Rise’s mind is also attacking her.

“What’s wrong Rise? Are we under attack?” Narukami asked tensely as he readied his sword. I stared at the tanks.

‘ _They look familiar…. far too familiar….’_

“No, we’re not under attack… yet. It’s those tanks…. So much hate and malice…. Whatever’s in there just wants the world to burn down along with themselves…” Rise muttered, head still in her hands.

 _‘That phase…. It sounds like someone we…. Wait, I know this aura… I…’_ Chicot muttered in my head, dread crawling its way into his, and my, mind.

“I have never felt such malice ever since Erebus…. Their emotions… so much rage! So much hate against the world, against life itself…” Fuuka exclaimed.          

 _‘No, no, no, no, no, no, no…’_ Chicot started chanting to himself in my mind. I tried to shut it out, I tried to keep his nonsensical conclusion out of my mind. I grit my teeth and gripped the handle of the Lupara tighter. But despite my best efforts, tears started welling in my eyes.

Suddenly, lights turned on above the three tanks, illuminating what was within. I let out a loud gasp at the revealed contents and dropped to my knees. Tears now flowed freely down my face.

In the left tank, a mechanical figure stood. Its body was composed of a series of spinning tops with binary codes spinning around it. Two spindly metal legs supported its weight, while a single mechanical arm with a left hand was connected to the middle.

In the right tank, a female figure wearing a horned mask stood. Her body was covered in a skin-tight suit of red and black. In one clawed hand she held a giant knife, while the other held a goblet that emitted fire and a purplish smoke.

And in the middle, a pale figure hung lifelessly. He was leaning forward, his face facing the other side, held aloft by wings that look painfully grafted to the middle of his spine. At the point where the wings linked to his back, countless blood-red roots ensnared him, extending to his whole body.

_‘No, no, no n, no…. It isn’t them! IT CAN’T BE THEM!’_

_‘Moros, Medea, Hypnos…. How? Why? My friends… my dear, dear, dead friends…’_ Both Chicot and I were speechless at this turn of events. Most of the other Shadow Operatives were also stunned into silence. I vaguely noticed Junpei staring at the tank with Medea in it, a single tear falling down his cheek.

“Welcome, Shadow Operatives.” A voice rang above us, coming from a few speakers that lay around. “I am Matsumoto, director of the Project Prometheus Sumaru branch, and grand director of Project Prometheus. Before you stands our finest replicas of the three most successful attempts at creating a Persona. Unfortunately, the originals were all failures at being Personas, but they have sufficient raw power. So I thought, why waste a good set of blueprints? Trash can always be reused, wouldn’t you agree?” I sighed in relief and then clenched my teeth in anger at his speech.

_‘It’s not them… it’s not actually them… thank god… But they feel so real…’_

_‘It’s the same blueprints Chicot, of course they’re gonna feel like the originals. This fight is gonna be painful. Dam that Project Prometheus, dam that Matsumoto…. By the time I’m done with them they would find the deepest pits of hell to be a relief…’_ I stood up and held my shotgun at ready as the tanks slowly drained of the liquids that submerged the three powerful Shadows.

Moros whirled into life. Medea shook her head free of residual liquid. Hypnos raised his head and glared at us with empty eye sockets. I wiped my eyes and grit my teeth in preparation for the heartbreaking carnage that would soon follow.

_My friends to be loved with my heart. My comrades to be protected with my life. And now… My targets to be slain by my hand…._

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 

               


	17. Chapter 17

_Flashbacks and inner thoughts_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Spells used by Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

The glass tanks all shattered simultaneously, releasing the three militarized Shadows. I swiftly drew my evoker and pointed the muzzle at my chin, pulling the trigger at the same time.

“Chicot, **Jester’s Privilege**!” As the blood red summoning aura engulfed me, Chicot flew out from my mind and rushed towards the trio of Shadows. Moros and Hypnos jumped away quickly, but Medea was hit by Chicot’s debilitating wave and was too slow to avoid his charge. Slamming into Medea, Chicot pinned her body against the wall with his giant cross. Medea screeched and tried to slash at him with her dagger, but Chicot managed to trap her dagger hand under his armpit.

 _‘Jesus, this reminds me of the days when she won’t take her meds…’_ I commented while sprinting towards the struggling duo, my gun at ready. At either side of me, the Shadow Operatives exchanged powerful spells with the other two Shadows, the floor trembling from the sheer amount of force exchanged.

 _‘Yep. Those were the days… Hey girl, remember when you tried to claw my eyes out when I stopped you from strangling your partner? Goods days…’_   Chicot’s voice was strained from holding down the angry Shadow, but we both chuckled at the nostalgia.

Reaching where Chicot had Medea pinned, I leapt and scrambled up Chicot’s back, ending up on his shoulders. I jammed the barrel of the shotgun between her eyes. At the same time, my eyes widened as I noticed Medea tipping her goblet over Chicot’s head. Chicot noticed as well.

 _‘Oh, fuck this shit…’_ he complained before a torrent of lava flowed out of the goblet and onto his head.

Chicot and I screamed at the same time as the searing pain was shared through our bonds. I pulled the trigger almost at the same time as Chicot’s dematerialization. The force of the buckshots sent me flying backwards, where I got clipped by one of Medea’s flailing limbs. I flew back and landed heavily on the ground, rolling a few times to lessen the impact. Medea was staring at me with murder in her eyes, her mask cracked and shadowy ichor dripping through. On the other side of the room, Hypnos raised his head and lifted his hands. A ball of blue energy started to gather at the tip of his fingers. On the other side of the room, Moros raised his hand and a smaller ball of energy started gathering.

“Everyone, be careful! I’ve got a bad feeling about that attack!” Rise’s voice rang up as the Shadow Operatives hastened to find cover.

 _Thank you Captain Obvious. Without your consistent pointing out the obvious, I would have no way to make it through my day._ As I commented,I hastily pointed my evoker at my chest.

“ **Mabufudyne**!” Nine huge block of ice materialized around me, fusing together to form a giant ice igloo surrounding me. And not a second too soon.

**Megidolaon.**

Although the combined blast of almighty energy was somewhat checked by the ice shield, it still me flying. My back was slammed against a wall, and I felt the breath fly out of me along with a few specks of blood. Around me, the Shadow Operatives were in a similar state of disarray. Yukiko quickly regained her footing and summoned her Persona.

“ **Mediarahan!** ” A soothing wave washed over me as I felt my injuries mending. I coughed and spat out a glob of blood that was stuck in my throat. Looking up, I saw that Hypnos and Moros had taken position in front of Medea. Medea lifted her arms as if she was doing some sort of dance. I grit my teeth in frustration.

**Spring of Life.**

A shining aura emitted from Medea and encompassed Moros and Hypnos. The crack on Medea’s helmet mended itself, and the various scrapes and burns on Moros and Hypnos started disappearing as well. I stood up and quickly reloaded my shotgun, resisting the urge to punch something.   

 _This is what I wanted to avoid by targeting Medea! Dammit all to hell!_ As I complained, Mitsuru turned to Rise and Fuuka.

“Kujikawa! Yamagishi! We need a detailed scan on our enemies!” Nodding, the two sensors summoned their Personas. I snorted in distain and started sprinting towards the trio of Shadows. Narukami’s voice rang up from behind me.

“Caius! Stop, don’t attack before we get a scan on it!”

“I’ll bet my life that your ‘scan’ would amount to just as much as a pile of dog shit! Attack while you can, assholes!” As I yelled back, I allowed Angelic Grace to take over the driver’s seat and cartwheeled sideways to avoid an Agidyne from Hypnos. Aiming at Medea down my sights, I pulled both triggers at the same time, firing two buck shots at the female Shadow.

Another figure suddenly obscured my sight of Medea. I blinked, recognizing Moros standing in front of Medea, blocking the buck shots while Hynos launched another Agidyne at me. Summersaulting over the inferno, I saw Moros lift his hand and clench it into a fist.

_Oh fuck me…._

**Gigantic Fist.**

The massive impact hit me mid-air, and I was sent hurtling back from where I came from. Crashing into several chairs and the wall, I gagged and vomited a pool of blood. Coughing, I tried to stand up, but a hand held me down. It was Adachi. Mitsuru was standing behind him, with her Persona at ready.

“Artemisia, **Diarahan**!” Almost immediately, I felt the various damaged internal organs healing. I made another attempt at getting up, but Adachi held me down more firmly this time.

“Bro, I know you want to fight. But wait until you know what you’re fighting against.”

“This time, I agree with Adachi. Your actions were far too reckless for safety. I’m ordering you to fight defensively until the scan is complete.”

“It will NEVER be complete until you kill Medea!” I shouted at Mitsuru. “You think I don’t know what we’re up against? We are fighting against replicas of Strega’s Persona, they were to me as SEES was to you, as the Investigation Team was for Narukami! If you don’t defeat them quickly--!” Before I can finish my sentence a cry came out from within the combined Personas of Rise and Fuuka.

“Ah! Mitsuru-san (Senpai), it’s no good! Something keeps blocking us, we can’t get a scan on it at all!” Another panicked cry. “No… no! Something is invading our system, we… ugh…. We can’t keep it out…”

Spinning around, I saw Moros kneeling as the binary codes surrounding his head spun rapidly. I grit my teeth and pushed Adachi away so I could stand up. Then, I faced Mitsuru.

“You see what I mean? Medea emits life, healing all of her teammates. The aura of life surrounding her also masks her and her teammates from any sensors. Moros, on the other hand, is a true sensor and would scan their enemies. In this case, he’s ‘hacking’ into Juno and Kouzeon and learning all of our weaknesses. And you can sure as hell bet that once Moros knows our weakness, the whole trio knows.”

“So what do you suggest we do to minimize damages?”

“Minimize damages? Hahahaha… I’m afraid it’s a bit too late for that. You see, when I was part of Strega, the roles assigned to Takaya and I were frontline fighters. We were supposed to buy enough time for Jin and Chidori to gather info for us. Now with only Hypnos there, the logical strategy would be attack immediately and overwhelm Hypnos while Moros is scanning. Concentrate the firepower on Medea to stop her healing, and then the rest should be toast. But now Moros has completed his scan, all we can do is to overpower them through sheer brute force….”

As I was talking, an inferno emitted from Medea and washed over the Shadow Operatives. Adachi and Mitsuru were knocked down, but I managed to jump over the flames thanks to Angelic Grace. Looking around, I saw that Narukami, Yukiko, Koromaru, and Junpei were the only other ones standing ready. All the other Shadow Operatives have been either knocked off their feet, or were recovering from the powerful fire spell. Yukiko quickly summoned her Persona.

“ **Mediarahan**!” As the healing wave descended upon us, I saw Hypnos form a hand seal.

  1. The ice spell was headed straight towards Yukiko, who had just dismissed her Persona. She turned around and her eyes widened as the stream of ice headed in her direction.



“Oh no you don’t! **Bufudyne!** ” At a wave of Chicot’s hand, an ice wall shot up in front of Yukiko, intercepting the ice arrow and shattering both. “We can’t have you killing our healer this early in the game. That would kill all the fun, won’t it, my old friends?” Smirking a bit, I looked back at the trio. Medea was standing at the back, Moros slightly to the front left of her. Hypnos stood at the very front in the middle. The empty space to the right of Hypnos drew my attention.

_‘Shit…. That was your, our, position in the formation… You should be standing there Chicot… WE should be standing there. We should be fighting with our friends, not against them. Even the Swiss mercenaries and Landsknechts never fought against their own. What went wrong?’_

_‘The world went wrong Caius. It used to be that when you lost your friends you can lie them down in peace and move on. But now, now they can dig up your friends, create blueprints of them, construct replicas of them, and send them in as your enemies. This world has gone to shit ten times over….’_

_‘I couldn’t agree more. Project Prometheus is just another piece of shit in this shit hole of a world…..’_ Wiping my eyes, I turned to the rest of the Shadow Operatives.

“Focus fire upon Medea or else we’ll never win. Don’t use fire, light, or dark. None of them have any weakness.” Quickly loading my shotgun again, I started sprinting at the trio. Hypnos lifted his head and stared at me with its empty sockets. I pointed the evoker at my temple as the Shadow lifted its hands to form another hand seal.

**Agidyne.**

“ **Bufudyne**!” The giant fireball stuck the wall of ice that emerged in front of me and filled the air with steam. Leaping off my feet, I took advantage of the smoke screen and rolled towards Hypno’s right where nobody stood guard. Passing Hypnos, I saw Moros lift a hand in preparation of another spell.

“Dammit, Chicot!” I screamed out loud as the evoker’s spiritual bullet tore through my mind once more. Chicot leapt out of my mind and crashed into Moros, pinning the Shadow onto the ground. I heard a crackle of energy behind me, and turned around to see the hollow eyes of Hypnos staring at me. The Shadow was crackling with sparks of energy coursing through its body.

 _Shit, the bugger Mind Charged himself…._ Hypnos raised his hand in preparation to form another hand seal.

“It’s my turn!!!” With a feral battle cry, Tatusmi came flying out of nowhere with his giant shield in hand and crashed into Hypnos. “Takeji Zaiten! **Ziodyne**!” The huge Persona waved a hand, and a giant bolt of lightning struck down upon both Shadow and human. Hypnos screeched loudly, but Kanji seemed to enjoy the bolt.

“I live for this moments!” At that time, Hypno’s hands raised once more. The spell was cast before I could warn Tatsumi.

The gust of wind sent Kanji flying back with a scream of pain. Hypnos regained its footing and formed another hand seal. Once more, energy started coursing through its body, creating tiny bolt sparking through its limbs.

**Mind Charge.**

“You like wind? Well try this for size!” Takeba shouted at the Shadow before summoning her Persona. “ **Panta Rhei**!” The giant cyclone struck Hypnos at the side and sent the Shadow flying. Lifting a hand, the Shadow pointed a finger at Takeba.

As the giant bolt of electricity arced it way towards Takeba, who braced and closed her eyes, a huge figure stood in front of her and took the blast instead. The lighting struck the large figure, but instead of blasting it back, it circled around the figure and was absorbed instead. The large figure of Takeji Zaiten stood proudly in front of Takeba, fully invigorated. Its owner, Kanji, was similarly standing up and ready to resume the fight.

**Torrent Shot.**

Spinning around, I found Chicot being pushed back by a shower of piercing shots before dematerializing. Moros swiftly regained his footing and pointed its hand at me, a ball of fire charging up in its palms. Gritting my teeth, I crouched slightly, ready to dodge the incoming spell.

Letting Angelic Grace flow through my body, I summersaulted over the fireball spell. As I soared through the air, my gaze turned towards Medea, who was holding her goblet up high.  _Shit…_

My eyes widened as I watched the fiery inferno fly closer, unable to dodge in mid-air. Holding the Lupara out in front of me horizontally, I braced for impact.

“Sumeo-Okami!” At the command of its owner, the golden Persona materialized in front of me, absorbing the blast of fire from Medea. Moros, seeing another Persona join the fight, swiftly charged up another spell and sent it howling at Yukiko’s Persona.

“Not so fast!” With a shout, Mitsuru jumped in front of the icy blast, protecting the Persona from its weakness. As Moros raised its hand once more, an iron edged fan flew out of nowhere and knocked its hand aside before returning to the hands of its owner. Folding up the fan, Yukiko walked to the front lines an assumed a fighting stance along with Mitsuru.

Landing from my near brush with death, I faced Medea in front of me. The Shadow was glaring at me with seething hatred. I sighed as I pointed the barrel of my Lupara at her.

“That gaze in your eyes…. You wound me severely Medea…. But it isn’t really you, isn’t it? The Medea that I knew and loved is gone forever…” I murmured sadly. Medea screeched and flung the contents of it goblet in my direction, forming another fireball.

**Agidyne.**

Springing into the air, I leapt over both the Agi spell and the Shadow that casted it. While I was soaring over Medea’s head, I pointed the Lupara downwards and unloaded both barrels into the face of the Shadow below me, cracking her mask. Screaming madly, Medea flailed her dagger around wildly, knocking the shotgun out of my hands. As I landed, I swiftly ducked under Medea’s dagger swing and backed out of range.  Medea stared at me for a second, and then threw her head back and raised her goblet.

 **Spring of Life**.

As the healing aura washed over her once more, the crack on Medea’s mask started mending. Seeing that, I drew my dagger and started sprinting towards the Shadow, snarling under my breath.

“No you are NOT going to heal up that wound!!!”

Noticing my charge, Medea swung her dagger downwards at my head. I sidestepped, and the dagger completely missed me, instead slicing into the ground. The Shadow tried to free its blade, but the dagger was firmly lodged into the ground. Jumping onto Medea’s hand, I stepped into the crook of her arm and used that to propel me upwards towards the Shadow’s head.

“Magatsu-Izanagi! **Heat Riser**!” Adachi’s voice rang up somewhere behind me, and I felt the extra surge of energy course through my body.

_I owe that bastard another whiskey when this is over…_

“Raghhhhhhhh!” Unleashing a fierce battle-cry, I jammed the stiletto into the crack on Medea’s mask, causing the Shadow to scream and flail around wildly. I wrapped my legs around Medea’s neck to stabilize myself and started to wrench the dagger left and right, widening the crack. As the crack widened, Medea screamed even louder, and her struggling intensified. I grit my teeth at the sound and tried to focus upon the task at hand.

_It’s not her. It’s not her. It’s just another enemy for you to kill. Dammit Caius, you like this kind of shit, so why….?_

As I continued widening the crack, a flash of movement caught my eye. Medea was pouring her goblet of venom at me. The green smoking fluid flew out of the goblet straight towards me. Raising my left arm, I protected my face while the liquid splattered all over me

 **Poisma**.

I screamed in pain as the poison burned away skin to reveal tendons, muscles, and bone within. While I was distracted by the pain, Medea threw me off her shoulders with one strong shake, and wrenched her dagger out of the ground. Still paralyzed by the poison, I landed in a heap at her feet. Looking up, I saw Medea raising her dagger in preparation for the final strike.

“ **Vorpal Blade**!” Countless slashes forced Medea back as Adachi stepped over me to face her. Looking back, the detective grimaced at my burns before turning back to face the Shadow. “Bro, you need to do something about those burns…”

“Oh… really…? I… would never… have… came to… that conclusion…myself…” As I choked out the response, I drew my evoker with the less burned hand and pulled the trigger to my head. “ **Amrita** …” The command came out as barely a whimper, but it was still heard nevertheless. As the healing wave washed over me, I felt the burning pain of the poison disappear, but the deep burns caused by it remained.

 _‘You might want one of the healers look at that later.’_ Chicot commented.

_‘What is with everyone stating the obvious today?! Jesus Christ…’_

I shifted to my side and saw Medea clawing at her face, trying to pull out the knife still stuck on her mask, but failing to do so. Screaming in frustration, she raised her dagger and charged at Adachi and me. The former detective tensed up, and Magatsu-Izanagi appeared in front of him, blade at the ready.

“ **Brave Blade**!” A figure blurred past Adachi and Magatsu, intercepting Medea in her charge. With a single, fluid slash, Trismegistus decapitated the Shadow, sending her lifeless body crashing to the ground.

As the Persona dematerialized, I turned around to see Junpei standing behind me with a hollow expression, tears flowing down his face. He soon collapsed and curled into a ball, shaking with sobs.

 _‘These Shadow Operatives. They may be a lot more capable than we give them credit for…’_ Chicot remained silent at my remark.

“Finally! The interference is gone, we can scan them now!” Rise and Fuuka’s voice came from behind. “Get ready people, we are sending in their info!” I felt a presence probe into my mind, and I noticed that Hypnos and Moros seemed to be moving a lot slower. No, it wasn’t that, it was…

_‘We are getting sent info on what Hypnos and Moros would do, before they do it… We’re pretty much looking 3 seconds into the future as far as they’re concerned…’_

_‘Jesus, so that’s why they wanted to complete the scan before fighting… If this had worked, it would’ve been a piece of cake to defeat the trio…’_

I shifted to my side, trying to get up, only to collapse in pain as my burns touched the floor. Noticing this, Adachi quickly placed a hand on my shoulder, holding me down.

“You are in no state to fight. And you don’t need to anymore. I think the Shadow Ops have this covered.”

Looking up, I noticed that he was right. Kanji and Yukari were easily evading Hypnos attacks while landing countless spells of their own, and on the other end Mitsuru and Yukiko also seemed to be having an easy time dealing with Moros. As I was looking at Moros, I noticed a green blur rush in his direction. Moros also noticed it, as he lifted a hand towards the newcomer.

 **Agidyne**.

Chie deftly side stepped past the fireball and resumed her charge on the Shadow, laughing out loud as she does so.

“Hahaha! Nope, you can’t get me!!”

Moros swung an arm around, but Chie quickly dropped to her knees and slid under the punch, jumping back to her feet behind the mechanical Shadow. Her body was tensed like a spring.

“My turn! **Galactic Punt**!” Chie unleashed a devastating kick, launching Moros across the room and crashing into Hypnos in a confusing pile. Chie quickly drew her evoker and pointed it at her temple. “Alright guys, let’s pile up!”

The hall was lit as bright as day by the battle auras of all 12 combat members of the Shadow Operatives summoning their Personas at the same time.

**Brave Blade, Panta Rhei, Nifhein, Burning Petals, Thunder Reign, Vorpal Blade, Megidolaon…..**

The hurricane of spells fused into one roaring wave crashing down upon the two fallen Shadows, creating a giant shockwave that shook the very earth itself. Before all the dust had settled, a few more people charged out of the formations of the Shadow Operatives and rushed towards the center of the giant explosion.

“It’s time, Yukiko!”  “Coming Chie!” The two girls danced around each other and summoned their Personas at the same time.

“ **Twin Dragons**!”

“Yosuke--------!” “I’m coming, stupid bear!” Hanamura and Teddie both jumped into the air, almost crashing into each other but still managing to summon their Personas at the same time.

“ **Junes Bomber**!”

“Naoto! For old time’s sake!” “Very well!” Kanji rushed in with his shield raised while Shirogane rolled in front of him, their Personas circling them.

“ **Beauty and the Beast**!”

“Aigis-san, may I have this dance?” “Still the lady’s man as always, Narukami.” Despite their teasing, the two field leaders advanced as one unit, Izanagi and Orpheus following behind them.

“ **Dance of Fools**!”

With each summoning, a powerful spell descended upon where Hypnos and Moros lay. When each spell fell, a tremor ran through the ground and a shrill shriek ran up. By the time all the dust had settled, I had tear my eyes away from what it revealed.

Moros lay prone in the center of the wreckage, its body cracked and dented, stray electrical sparks sparking out of his body, the binary code on his body fizzling in and out. A horrible clanking sound emitted from his body as the damaged machinery tried in vain to maintain the Shadow’s existence. Under Moros, Hypnos lay, shadowy ichor leaking out of his body, his wings literally uprooted from his spine and lying at the side. With his wings uprooted, one could see the deep scars left behind on his body by his unwanted wings.

 _I’m sorry. I’m sorry my friends. There was no other way…._ I closed my eyes as tears threatened to come out again. The whirling and clanking of Moro’s body slowly died down, and Hypnos let out one final sigh before both Shadows dissolved.

“ **Mediarahan**!” As Yukari’s healing spell surrounded us, I felt an intense itching as the skin on my body started crawling back over the deep burns left over by Medea’s poison. Crawling back to my feet, I tensed up as Matsumoto’s voice rang through the hall again.

“So I see you’ve defeated my guardians. Congratulations Shadow Operatives, it seems that Ikutsuki’s evaluations of you were not exaggerated. Proceed then, and we shall meet in person.”

 _I will kill you. I will revel in seeing your eyes glaze over as the relief of death claims you from my grasp…_ Snarling to myself, I searched the ground for my shotgun and dagger. Finding both of them, a patch of white on the ground caught my eye. Picking it up, I discovered that it was a fragment of Medea’s mask.

_‘By the gods, what have we just gone through?’_

_‘An experience that should never have existed.’_ Chicot answered morosely. _‘And, while I hate to say this, you might want to drop that. It’s still alive, to an extent…’_

 _‘What do you…?’_ Before I can finish my question, I felt the mask fragment in my hand tremble a bit.

**Spring of Life.**

A single eye opened and stared at me fearfully from the eye hole of the fragment in my hands. I stared at the eye, a tear falling down my cheek. Then I dropped the fragment and crushed it under my heel, a tiny, barely audible scream coming from under my foot.

_‘Rest in peace Medea…. Rest in peace… friends….’_

Reloading my shotgun, I turned to see the rest of the Shadow Operatives readying for battle as well. Even Junpei, still looking shaken up, was on his feet and hefting his spiked bat. I looked towards the double doors that let underground towards the bomb shelter. Towards Matsumoto.

“Let’s do this….”

* * *

 

Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Chicot        Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Weak  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Evil Smile

Ghastly Wail

Survive Light

 


	18. Chapter 18

_Flashbacks and inner thoughts_

_‘Persona talk’_

**Spells used by Persona**

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

After we entered the bomb shelter, it was obvious that Project Prometheus had occupied this space for a long time, and that they have evacuated in quite a hurry. Glass tanks like the ones holding Hypnos, Medea, and Moros stood around, with the containment liquid still covering the bottoms. Experiment tables like the ones I was experimented on under Watanabe also stood around, with one of them still having a lifeless body strapped on to it.

_‘It seems like they pulled the switch on everyone once the evacuation order came in.’_

_‘Didn’t that happen to us as well? Twice?’_

_‘The difference is that we survived both times, Chicot. They didn’t. Dam this place brings back bad memories….’_

_‘You’re not the only one. Look.’_

Following Chicot’s line of thought, I looked over at Shirogane, who was nervously glancing at the experiment tables. Her expression wasn’t one of righteous fury, although that emotion did surface when she saw the dead body. It was more…. fearful? Uncomfortable? Those tables definitely reminded her of something unpleasant. Snarling under my breath, I picked up the pace.

_‘I’ve had enough of this mind-fuck of a mission. Let’s kill or capture the son-of-a-bitch ASAP so that I can go deal with a nice bottle of whiskey….’_

We eventually reached a large opening within the underground bomb shelter. Across the entrance, countless monitors and control panels stood. I glanced at the monitors and did a double take. Upon each side monitor a rotating image of a member of the Shadow Operative and their Persona was displayed, along with various stats. And on the main monitor on the center of the wall, a video of our fight against the Strega replicas played.

A huge rotating armchair was turned away from us and facing the monitors. A rapid clicking of keyboards could be heard emitting behind it, as well as a low, frantic muttering.

“This… this is marvelous! Simply fantastic! All this power…. And look at those numbers!  I want one! I MUST HAVE ONE!!!!” The frantic mutterings eventually turned to full on ranting. Mitsuru took a step forward.

“Matsumoto. You are charged with the crime of kidnapping, inhumane experiments, and murder as well as numerous other charges. In the name of the Shadow Operatives, you are under arrest!” The figure behind the chair paused for a moment, then a short cough and low chuckle followed.

“Ah yes, Mitsuru-san. I do remember seeing you pass by when your grandfather brought you and your father to the Kirijo Ergo Labs. I also remember hearing the news when you awakened to your Persona. Your grandfather was a poor man indeed. Only a handful, including Ikutsuki and I, ever understood his passion for the Shadows and Persona. But his son, the traitor, dedicated a lifetime to unraveling his life’s work, and now, you, his granddaughter, stand before me to destroy one of the last bastions of his legacy. And you call yourself a Kirijo?”

“Do not speak of my father like that! You are not worthy of even mentioning the Kirijo name! Now you can enter our custody quietly and peacefully, or we can drag you with us screaming and kicking! Your choice!” I blinked in surprise at Mitsuru’s outburst. The Kirijo heiress was visibly shaking with anger, her teeth grinding against each other. I have never seen her give such a violent display of anger.

The revolving chair spun, revealing a man in his late 60’s wearing a lab coat. A wild tangle of white hair sat atop a cleanly shaven face. A pair of cold, calculating eyes sat behind wire-rimmed glasses, while a smile stretched the waxy skin taunt. I shivered slightly at the aura of confidence and madness that emitted from this man sitting on the chair.

_He’s no Watanabe. He’s the real deal._

Matsumoto sat straighter, and held both arms out towards the Shadow Operatives.

“Well then, since I’m under arrest, would one of you kindly cuff me and help an old man out of his chair?”

Mitsuru glanced at Akihiko, who nodded. Pulling a set of handcuffs out of his pocket, the boxer took slow, careful steps towards the old man sitting on the chair. The whole group seemed to hold their breath as Akihiko walked slowly across the room. Halfway there, the boxer stopped, and held out a hand in front of him, as if testing for something. Without warning, the boxer crouched and threw a straight punch forward, his fist colliding against an unseen surface, causing a shockwave to ripple out from the point of impact. The shockwave showed a large surface standing between the Shadow Operatives and Matsumoto. A chuckle came from Matsumoto.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that there’s a wall there? Two layers of tektite-reinforced bullet-proof glass with one layer of Shadow containment glass sandwiched in between. I believe that even for the likes of you that would be neigh impossible to shatter in a short amount of time, no?”

“So what’s your point?” Adachi drawled out beside me. “You just made sure that you have the front row seat while we smash down your defenses and capture you anyway. Face it old man, your guardians are dead, and I don’t see you pulling out more Shadows out of your ass.”

“Oh my, am I hearing the voice of the infamous Tohru Adachi, mastermind behind the Inaba murders? Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am a big fan of your work. And to answer your question, no I do not intend to just sit here while you tear down this wall. I do have guardians up my sleeve. In fact, they are standing right in front of me.” Hearing that, I swiftly lifted my Lupara, eyes darting left and right for signs of overlooked threats. The rest of the Shadow Operatives also assumed a fighting stance of some sort. Matsumoto chuckled.

“Oh, relax… the guardian I’m speaking of…. Is among you!” With those words, the elderly scientist pulled out an instrument looking like a rifle and shot a beam of light at the gathered Shadow Operatives. As I looked on with shock, the beam pierced through the chest of Adachi.

The effect was immediate. Dropping his gun, Adachi fell to his knees, grasping his head and snarling in pain. A red summoning aura surround him, and Magatsu Izanagi materialized behind Adachi’s prone figure, flailing its blade wildly.

**Vorpal Blade.**

I covered my head with my arms, gritting my teeth as the countless slashes generated by the berserk Persona pushed the Shadow Operatives away. Swinging around, Magatsu aimed a kick at Adachi, sending the detective flying. I quickly drew my evoker and pulled the trigger.

“Chicot!” With the utterance of his name, Chicot materialized and caught the flying figure of Adachi. Running over, I joined my Persona and cradled the prone form of the fallen detective. All the Shadow Operatives were circling Magatsu with uncertainty, the rogue Persona clutching its own head as if in pain.

“You see, this little contraption here,” Matsumoto leered as us while stroking the rifle like object in his hand, “is a much more powerful version of the evokers that you use. The range of the normal evokers are almost negligible unless the muzzle is touching the target’s skin. But with this neo-evoker, as I like to call it, the range can go up to 50 meters, or 150 feet!

“But of course that alone is not enough to drive a Persona berserk. A Persona, even when summoned involuntarily, still belongs to its owner. So the second function of this neo-evoker, is a powerful… Shadow-steroid, so to speak. The function of such is pretty much opposite to that of the Persona suppressants which you are all so familiar with.” Matsumoto jeered at us while Magatsu started running amok, slashing and striking at all within range.

“Why would you develop something like that?!” The shocked voice of Chie rang up as she narrowly ducked under a blade slash.

“Well, the technology was developed to fulfill our initial goal, the isolation and relocation of natural Personas. I just weaponized it as insurance against Persona-wielding invaders such as you.”

**Power Charge**.

Magatsu’s body was crackling with energy, a thin layer of steam emitting from his body. He raised his blade.

“Oh no! Everyone, the next blow is gonna hit like a truck! Get ready!” At Rise’s warning, all of the Shadow Operatives braced themselves. Taking a step over Adachi, I braced myself over his twitching body.

“I got you bro.”

_‘And I got both of you.’_ Chicot shifted over and raised his cross as a shield. I chuckled, and then prepared for Magatsu’s blow.

**Vorpal-**

“Ma…ga…tsu…” The rogue Persona paused his attack as Adachi muttered his name. Looking under me, I saw the detective reaching out towards his confused Persona. “Ma…ga...tsu… you bastard… come… back…here… Did you… forget your… promise? Even if… the world is… my foe… you would… stand by… me… and I would… stand by… you… I… am thou… and thou… art I…”

The energy around Magatsu Izanagi started to dissipate as the Persona lowered its blade. The Shadow Operatives let loose a sigh of relief. Behind the glass wall, Matsumoto frowned. Narukami turned and faced the old scientist.

“You see that? Bonds like the one between the Persona and its wielder cannot be simply broken by trickery like yours. The strength of bonds are what powers us, and allows us to defeat people like you!” A few of the Shadow Ops nodded in agreement. Matsumoto looked thoughtful.

“Yes. I see now. It seems that there is a strong bond between the Persona and its user. I understand now. I understand that I need to administer a higher dose!” Lifting the neo-evoker once more, the scientist shot another beam of light through the chest of Magatsu Izanagi.

“Argggggggghhhhhhhhh!” A loud scream from the detective I was protecting and the rogue Persona in front of me rose up at the same time. Adachi convulsed and his eyes rolled back. Magatsu collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head in pain. Black shadowy ichor leaked out of from his whole body, creating a large pool of shadowy goo underneath him and pulling him in.

“Everyone, back up! I sense something big coming out! Oh no… I sensed this before….” At Rise’s warning, the Shadow Operatives quickly retreated. Holstering the Lupara and evoker, I pulled Adachi’s limp body into a fireman carry and sprinted away from the mass of shadows that Magatsu Izanagi had descended into. After drawing a large enough distance, I set Adachi down and looked back to the shadowy mass.

From the center of the pool, a single eye opened. I shivered at the neon-colored irises that looked more like camera lens than human eye. As the eye started floating out of the shadowy mass, metal panels slowly arose as well and surrounded the eye, fusing onto a giant sphere with countless pipes and nozzles sticking out of the. The giant eye blinked once and then turned to regard us.

“I am Ameno-Sagiri, ruler of the fog. I see that there are those among you who defied me last time. I shall right that wrong, and fulfill mankind’s true wishes….” Behind Ameno-Sagiri, Matsumoto was hyperventilating with excitement.

“Oh. My. God. No wonder he told me to target Adachi! It’s… it’s beautiful! To think that one unworthy as I can behold a god… It’s unbelievable… Power enough to dwarf all the Shadows and Persona I have studied… It is perfection itself! I MUST HAVE ONE!” As Matsumoto ranted, Ameno-Sagiri sank lower into the ground and released a giant cloud of fog with a loud hiss.

**Bewildering Fog.**

“Everyone, hold your attack! The fog will lead all attacks astray. Wait until the fog is down before you strike!” At Rise’s advice, the Shadow Operatives all assumed a defensive stance. Several of them, such as Yukiko and Kanji, casted Mind Charge or Power Charge. 

**Tarakuja**

A veil of light arose around Ameno-sagiri and infused itself into the massive Shadow. I crouched lower over Adachi, and Chicot in front of me braced himself behind his cross.

**Power Charge.**

Sparks of energy crackled down the sides of the massive Shadow. Narukami waved at Shirogane, who nodded and pointed her evoker at her temple.

**Nebula Oculus.**

Suddenly opening his eye wide, Ameno-Sagiri unleashed a giant beam of energy upon the gathered Shadow Operatives. At the same time, the firing of an evoker can be heard and Shirogane’s voice rose.

“An act of self-defense! **Shield of Justice**!” Ethereal riot shields materialized in front all of the Shadow Operatives, negating the damage of Ameno-Sagiri’s attack. The fog dissipated.

“The fog is down, he is vulnerable! NOW!” At a shout from Rise, the Shadow Operatives unleashed their wrath upon the massive Shadow.

**Brave Blade, Primal Force, Nifheim, Panta Rhei, Thunder Reign, Gigantic Fist…**

The huge torrent of spells crashed into Ameno-Sagiri with a huge explosion, forcing the Shadow back. Before I could even smile at this development, I heard Adachi’s body convulse violently. Looking back, I was shocked to see the former detective coughing up pools of blood.

“I… can feel… every blow… every spell… that lands upon… that monstrosity…” I paled at Adachi’s mumbling, and shouted out to the Shadow Ops.

“Hold your fire! That thing is still connected to Adachi! Every blow landed on that thing would deal damage to Adachi as well!!!”

“WHAT?!!” Narukami looked aghast at that revelation, as did most of the other Shadow Operatives.

“You heard me! That giant disco eyeball is still based upon his Persona! Hold your fucking fire!”

**Bewildering Fog.** The giant figure of Ameno-Sagiri was once again obscured by the fog. Narukami turned to Rise and Fuuka.

“Is that true? Are they really connected?” The two immediately summoned their Personas.

“….Yes. We can sense a connection between Adachi and Ameno-Sagiri. It’s similar to what we usually sense between Personas and their users…”

**Tarakuja.** The veil of light once more infused itself into the giant Shadow. The Shadow Operatives were unsure of what to do, and Narukami was yelling at the two sensors.

“Well? Is there any way to circumvent this connection? Or sever it?”

“Senpai do you know what you’re asking us to attempt?” Rise shouted back, “You’re asking us to try and sever the connection between Adachi and his Persona!”

**Power Charge.** Ameno-Sagiri was brimming with energy again. I saw Shirogane tense up and lift her evoker once more.

“Shit!!” I heard the silver-haired leader curse, perhaps for the first time in his life. “Is there really nothing you can do?”

“Narukami-san, the connection is not enforced upon Adachi-san. It’s his natural connection with his Persona. We can’t simply remove it without serious consequences!” Fuuka shouted.

**Nebula Oculus.**

“ **Shield of Justice**!” The giant beam once again swept towards the Shadow Operatives, only to be blocked again by the ethereal riot shields summoned by Shirogane’s Persona.

**Bewildering Fog.**

As the giant Shadow once more sunk into the fog, I heard Hanamura’s voice ring up somewhere.

“Yo, can Adachi do anything about this? I mean, it is HIS Persona right?” I grit my teeth at his comment and shouted back.

“Are you fucking kidding me? He’s barely breathing, what do you want him to do? Talk to his Persona again? You saw how well THAT ended!”

“Okay, okay! What else can we do? In case you haven’t noticed, the giant eyeball’s been at it the whole time!”

“Narukami!” Mitsuru’s voice rang up. “We can’t afford to waste time now! We need to take action!”

**Power Charge.**

“But…. I…” An expression of immense conflict tore through Narukami’s face. Many of the other Shadow Operatives wore similar expressions, including Mitsuru. Matsumoto’s laugh rang through the underground lab.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAH…! I see the strength of your bonds, Shadow Operatives. In fact, such bonds are serving me well! Show me more of this power!” Narukami was visibly trembling with anger.

**Nebula Oculus.**

“ **Shield of Justice**!” As the giant beam was once again blocked by the riot shields, Shirogane dropped down on one knee. “Senpai… I’m afraid… I’m nearing my limit…”

“NAOTO! Anyone here got a Chewing Soul or something?” Narukami looked around frantically.

“Dude, those are RARE, even in the TV world! Do we look like we have them?!”

As I was racking my mind to think of a way out of this mess, a hand grabbed my ankle. Looking down, I saw Adachi mouthing something at me.

**Bewildering Fog.**

Crouching down to his level, I leaned in to hear what Adachi was trying to say. His voice was hoarse and rasping.

“Waste… too much… time…. Do it…”

“Do what?” I asked, dread entering my heart.

“Hehehe… your promise… to Strega… upon me… Do it… Now…”

**Tarakuja.**

My eyes widened at what Adachi was proposing. I clenched my fists in anger.

“No, dammit! What did I tell you? Not until all hope is lost! That was the terms of the agreement!”

**Power Charge.**

“I can’t… feel Magatsu… anymore… He’s there… but he’s gone… It hurts… so much…”

“But… I…” I was unable to form a coherent sentence as tears started welling up in my eyes.

“Hehehe… look… around… Caius… Do you… see hope… around us…?”

**Nebula Oculus.** As Ameno-Sagiri widened its eye again, Shirogane warily lifted her evoker once more.

“ **Shields of Justice**!” Among the loud explosions caused by the clashing of spells, a shriek was heard. After the dust settled, Shirogane was on the ground, clutching her head and trembling.

“NAOTO!” Narukami quickly rushed to Shirogane’s side and picked up the pint-size detective, carrying her away from the front lines.

“Dammit, we need to attack or we won’t survive! Consequences be dammed!” Hanamura’s voice rang up, and Mitsuru nodded in agreement. But most of the Shadow Operatives still seemed unsure about doing something that would severely injure a comrade.

“You…see? Bunch of… pussies. They are… far too… naïve… even Kirijo…” Adachi’s halting voice rasped at me.

**Bewildering Fog.**

“You remember… what I… told you… before the… raid…?” I nodded, his words right before the operation echoing in my mind.

_“He’s the best thing that happened to me in a long time. And he’s mine. He’s my sub-consciousness, my id. Nobody else’s. I would die before I allow him to be taken from me.”_

“Then… you should… know what… to do…” I took a deep breath to steel myself for what was about to come.

I drew my dagger and held it at ready. I wiped my eyes of the tears that were blocking my view, and took a good look at Adachi.

“You are a fucking bastard son-of-a-bitch, you do know that, right?”

“Hehehe… love you too… Caius… See you… in Hell…”Adachi chuckled painfully.

“See you in Hell.” I agreed, forcing a smile through my tears.

My hand rose.

**Power Charge.**

The dagger fell.

**Nebula Ocu-**

Ameno-Sagirii stopped in the middle of its attack, its single eye suddenly holding a vacant expression.

I grit my teeth as I felt the vibrations of a failing heart through the tip of the blade to the handle in my palm.

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

The line went flat. The hand clasped around my collar loosened. A last sigh escaped Adachi’s lips as his face settled into a serene smile. Horrified gasps rang out as the Shadow Operatives noticed my actions. Matsumoto roared in frustration.

“NO! What have you done? You’ve ruined the most precious specimen I’ve come across yet! Oh my, he will not be pleased… he will not be pleased…”

Ameno-Sagiri trembled, and then exploded into a multitude of panels. In the middle floated Magatsu-Izanagi.

Chicot materialized beside me and sprinted forward, catching the other Persona as he fell. As Chicot cradled the limp form of Magatsu-Izanagi, the other Persona painfully lifted his spear. Pushing the weapon into Chicot’s hand, Magatsu grabbed on to Chicot’s arm for few seconds before falling limp. Throwing his head back, Chicot let loose a scream of anguish as the two Personas were engulfed in a red aura.

_The resolution in Caius’s heart has awakened a new Persona,_

_Chicot has given rise to Eubuleus, He Who Escaped Hell!_

Out of the red aura stepped Eubuleus. He retained Chicot’s face and giant shackled marionette cross, but on his other hand he held Magatsu’s spear. His body was covered with Magatsu’s trench coat, but the front hung open, revealing a dark metal chest piece fashioned in the shape of a snarling boar. Within the boar’s eyes and mouth eerie green flames flickered.

Looking away from my new Persona, I turned my gaze back at the dead detective in my arms. Grasping the dagger that still pierced his heart, I yanked it out, releasing a spurt of blood that splattered along my arm. Dropping the dagger, I looked down on my bloody hand, trembling as teardrops fell off my face and into my palm.

“Well, well, well… So you absorbed his Persona? In that case, I’ll just have to rip yours out AS WELL!” With an inhuman scream, Matsumoto grabbed the neo-evoker and aimed it at me.

With a flick of my thoughts, Eubuleus pointed his spear at Matsumoto. An icy blast flew towards the mad scientist, hitting the glass wall and spreading a thick layer of near-opaque ice over the entire surface.

“USELESS! Didn’t I tell you I am untouchable?! I will have the Shadow God I was promised! Now DIE!” As Matsumoto pulled the trigger, the beam of light shot straight at me. It passed through the glass wall, but was refracted by the uneven surface of the ice and flew right over my head.

**Power Charge.**

I gently set Adachi down on the ground, and slowly stood up to face Matsumoto. All my joints popped as sparks of energy surged through my limbs. A light steam rose from my body as my perspiration evaporated from the intense rise of body heat.

“I don’t know who told you to target Adachi, nor do I care why. But you made a grave mistake when deciding to mess with the only two hardened killers on this team… **Atom Smasher**!”

Eubuleus threw his head back and screamed in rage as he swung his spear around. Countless purple slashes flew from him and crashed against the glass wall.

“I told you this is two layers of tektite-reinforced bullet-proof glass with one layer of Shadow containment glass in between! You will never-” Matsumoto’s gloating expression froze as a crack appeared on the glass wall.

“Your last protection is crumbling! Feel FEAR!” As I screamed, the glass wall shattered into shards. Matsumoto raised the neo-evoker once more, but one of the slashes sliced his arm, and the neo-evoker, off. A purple aura surrounded him as he collapsed, screaming and trembling with fear.

“Now, for the finishing touches…” As I walked towards Matusmoto, a hand landed on my shoulder, holding me back. Looking back in anger, I saw Mitsuru.

“Caius, we need him alive. He’s also taking orders-”

“DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE??!! LET GO OF ME!!!” As I shook off Mitsuru’s grasp, an icy gust exploded from me, pushing the Kirijo heiress and the Shadow Operatives back. As if reading my mind, Eubuleus instantly crafted an ice tunnel, with me at one end and Matsumoto at the other.

_Nobody can interfere now…_

“MATSUMOTOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” As I sprinted towards the fallen scientist, I opened my right hand and pushed it forwards, clenching Matsumoto by the jaw and pinning him against the wall with one hand. The ice tunnel shattered behind me, as I observed Matsumoto’s fear-stricken eyes.

“Tell me Matsumoto. What’s in my hand right now is the blood and tears of your enemies. Tell me, does is not taste sweet for you?” Only desperate gasps for breathe came from the old man.

**Ghastly Wail.**

Matsumoto’s body erupted into a fountain of scarlet, spraying all over me and everything around us. Wiping my eyes from the slick scarlet liquid, I looked down on the dismembered head still in my hands, before tossing it away.

“Tch. Trash”

I walked back to where Adachi’s body lay, leaving a trail of bloody footprints in my wake. The rest of the Shadow Operatives gave me a wide berth, but I didn’t care. I never cared. Kneeling down, I cradled the body of my best friend and drinking buddy once more.

“Hey… hey bro… I packed you some lunch for your trip down. I sent that son-of-a-bitch Matsumoto to be the Ruggieri to your Ugolino. I wonder if you’ll enjoy the meal…” Holding the body, still warm, closer to my chest, I trembled as I felt the last of my composure fading. “Please tell me… that you’ll enjoy… the meal…”

The underground laboratory echoed with my anguished cries…

* * *

 

“In his final year, Tohru Adachi found redemption and purpose. In the P-1 incident, he prevented deaths and played a pivotal role in the defeat of the culprit. And in his service to the Shadow Operatives, he played many an important role in the protection of humanity from the Shadow threat. It could be said that…”

_‘That is far from the Adachi we knew…’_ Eubuleus commented in the back of my head.

_‘Only a handful ever truly knew him. That’s the plight of killers like us…’_

It was a small funeral in a cemetery owned by the Kirijo Corps. Only the Shadow Operatives were present to hear Mitsuru deliver the eulogy. I stood away from the rest of the mourners, barely noticing the occasional angry look thrown in my direction.

Eventually, the coffin was buried, and the mourners started to leave. I stayed, but I was not the only one. Mitsuru was behind me. I heard her cough lightly.

“I am sorry to bring this up now… but I must say your initial assessment was correct. Despite the effectiveness of your methods, you do disrupt the team dynamics of the Shadow Operatives-”

“Meaning that you’re terminating our contract, right?” A brief pause from Mitsuru.

“That is correct.” An envelope was handed to me. “Within is the statement check for the time you worked under me, as well as a bonus fee. The funds have already been transferred to your account, so this is for reference purposes only.” I nodded silently as I received my check and stuffed it into my pocket. Mitsuru turned around to leave, then paused.

“For what it is worth Caius, I do not blame you for Adachi’s death. Some of the others do, but they do not see that it was the only way we could have survived.”

“Heh. Well that’s what you hired me for, right? Just fulfilling my end of the contract. It was a pleasure working under you, Kirijo-san.”

“It was a pleasure.” Mitsuru’s footsteps faded away. I looked at the tiny gravestone of Adachi. It was the only reminder to the world that detective and serial killer Tohru Adachi had once walked this Earth.

_‘No. It’s not the only reminder.’_ Eubuleus muttered to me. _‘Magatsu-Izanagi lives within me. We are the living mementos of Adachi’s existence.’_

_‘Heh. Fitting, I guess.’_

As night started to fall, I reached into my bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Placing one in front of the tombstone, I filled both glasses with whiskey and sat down.

"You know, I still owe you a bottle of whiskey from the Strega replicas fight. So here you go. Now don’t be picky about what brand it is. It’s the best I can afford, bro…” I lifted my glass up in a toast to Adachi.

“Now, bottoms up.” I grimaced as the fiery liquid slid down my throat.

* * *

 

 Name: Caius Gevauden

Persona: Eubuleus       Arcana: Death

Affinities:

Physical: Resist   Fire: Weak   Ice: Null   Wind: ---  Thunder: ----  Light: Null  Darkness: Null

Skills:

Jester’s Privilege (special skill. Heat Riser + Debilitate)

Bufudyne

Mabufudyne

Amrita

Angelic Grace

Atom Smasher

Ghastly Wail

Power Charge

 


	19. Chapter 19

_Flashbacks and…._ You know what? We all know what each of those mean, so let’s skip this part…

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I can’t skip this part…*sigh*… I only own the OC. If I owned Atlus, Caius would have his own game…

* * *

 

_June, 23 rd, 2003._

“So JIn, tell us where the target was again?” Takaya drawled.

“He tends to hang around in the back alley near Port Island Station. So he should be one of those...” Jin’s voice trailed off as the four of us stared at roughly 20 coffins standing around. Chidori let out a tinkling laugh and placed a hand over her face. She gazed merrily at Jin between her fingers.

“So Jin… which one of those 20 are we looking for? I’m sure as our information support specialist, you have done the proper research on this matter.” Jin blushed angrily at Chidori’s question before rummaging in his briefcase and producing several photos and handing it to each of us.

“This is what he looks like. The photo is provided by the contractor, so it should be valid. Even if it isn’t, it should be simple enough to try again. For now, just open each coffin and check out their faces. That… should do it, right?” I snorted at his words.

“Oh boy, we are the latest products of the most brilliant minds in the realm of Shadow research, and we have to check every single fucking coffin to find our target, like the common obnoxious salesperson. Good job guys.”

“Less talk, more checking coffins.” Takaya slightly annoyed voice broke in. Shrugging to myself, I took a photo from Jin and took a good look at it.

_‘Hmm… looks like a common thug to me… I mean, he wears a beanie, but that’s about it…’_ Chicot commented on the photo in my hands. I nodded in agreement, scanning the photo for any signature marks that might be used to identify him. Something on his neck caught my eye.

“Hey guys, on the right side of his neck there is a small but drawn-out scar. That would make our lives a lot easier while searching for him.” The other members of Strega nodded, and we set out to work. Walking over to one of the coffins, I wrenched the lid open and held the photo up next to the face of the unconscious man within. I squinted as I tried to compare his face to the photo under the green moonlight.

_No, not the right face shape…_ Slamming the lid shut, I moved on to the next.

                _No scar…. No scar…. Wrong face shape… Dyed hair, ew who dyes their hair lime green? Reminds me of vomit… No scar….. No scar…. Wrong face shape….Wrong gender, oh, she actually look hot. Not bad for an alcoholic junkie…._

While I was looking at the lady in the coffin, I felt the glare of Chidori on the back of my head and hastily slammed the coffin lid shut. Turning around, I saw the gothic Lolita standing behind me with her arms crossed. I coughed awkwardly and raised an eyebrow at Chidori’s inquiring stare.

                “Hey, I was just making sure that whoever was in the coffin wasn’t are target… I mean, it’s all part of the job right?”

                “Hmph, you spent awfully long looking at her just to confirm her gender….”

                _‘Ohh… someone’s ending up in the doghouse….’_ Chicot jeered at me.

                _‘Shut up.’_

                “Hey lovebirds, I think I found the one.” Jin’s voice rang out somewhere to my left. Momentarily forgetting our conversation, Chidori and I quickly jogged over to where Jin was standing in front of an open coffin, holding up the photo in his hand to whoever was in the coffin. Takaya was next to him.

                Looking at the man still slumbering within the coffin, I held up my own photo and compared the two images. They looked pretty identical to me. I looked over to Chidori next to me.

                “Hey Chidori, you’re the artist here. What do you think? Is this the man we’re looking for?” The Lolita narrowed her eyes and looked at me with annoyance.

                “What does me being an artist have anything to do with whether this is the man we’re looking for?”

                “I dunno. You deal with pictures and images a lot, so I think you’d be more sensitive to this kind of stuff.”

                “Her style of drawing is Avant-Garde, idiot. Do your research beforehand.” Jin rolled his eyes while rebuking me. I shrugged.

                “Ah well, still worth the shot. I’m going to take the plunge and claim that this is the guy we’re looking for.” Stepping forward, I pressed my hand against the side of the man’s neck and felt the ridge of hardened tissue along the side of his neck. “Bingo. Scar on the side of the neck. This is our guy.” Grabbing the guy’s collar, I yanked him out of the coffin and sent him sprawling at Takaya’s feet. As soon as he was out, I summoned Chicot.

                “Chicot, **bufula**.” An icy spear shattered the coffin where the man was residing in. Turning back around, I saw our target starting to wake up. The man rubbed his head, and then looked up at the four members of Strega surrounding him.

                “Wha-? Who are you fuckwads?! What’re you looking at?!” I rolled my eyes. Jin scowled and looked down at the contract in his hands.

                “Are you Nakadan Murai?”

                “So what if I am?! Now get out of my face before I--” Suddenly the man’s eyes widened as he noticed the Dark Hour. “Wait, what the fuck is going on here?! Shit, must’ve been the weird-ass crack that I snagged other day…”

                “Well, that explains the contract.” I muttered to Chidori. She giggled.

                “What contract? Who ARE you people? I DEMAND an answer!” The thug in front of us stood up and started brandishing his fists, but froze in place once he noticed he was facing the barrel of Takaya’s revolver.

                “To put it in the simplest terms,” Takaya calmly stated, “we have been hired by a certain party to end your life.” The man’s eyes widened at those words.

                “Wait, WHAT?! I’ve never done anything too bad! C’mon, I’m too young to die! I--”

                “You may believe so, but others believe otherwise. People see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe… For us, what you believe is not as important as our client’s wish…” Takaya cocked back the hammer of his revolver. The thug was almost pissing his pants by now. Spinning around, he sprinted past Chidori and I, running down the alleyway towards Port Island Station. Takaya smiled eerily as he took aim with his revolver.

                _*BAM*_

                As the gunshot rang through the air, the thug stumbled as the round tore through his shoulder, ripping a large gaping wound along his side. As his loud gasps rang though the air, he leaned against the wall for support and continued to stumble away, leaving a crimson streak against the wall. Rolling my eyes, I drew the Lupara and took aim.

                _*BAM*_

A second gunshot rang out, and the thug fell with a scream, his legs bursting into a bloody mess from the buckshot. Takaya scowled at my taunting smile. The thug turned around on his back and stared at us with fear in his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

                “P-please… I-I have money! And stuff you can sell for money! You can have it all if you don’t kill me!”

                “How kind of you to make this offer.” I replied with a chuckle, “But I’m afraid we’re not the ones you should be afraid of at this point.”

                “W-what do mean?”

                “It wouldn’t be too long by now.” Takaya’s expression turned to one of eager anticipation. “I wonder what your death would spawn…”

                The thug’s mouth opened as if he was about to ask a question, but then his body convulsed. A long, drawn out scream rose into the air as shadowy ichor converged from nowhere and latched onto his broken body. As the thug was consumed by the Shadows, and new form emerged from the shadowy blob. A Castle arose, with a head at the top and standing on two stone pillars. Around the Castle miniature cannons aimed their sights at us.

                **Maziodyne.**

                The four members of Strega scattered as several bolts of electricity snaked out of Castle and arced their way towards us. The other three members of Strega got pushed back by the shockwaves of the spell, but I summersaulted over the lightning and soared in the air towards the Shadow, pointing the evoker at my temple.

                “Chicot, **Bufula**!”

**Bufudyne.**

                The two ice spells passed by each other as they raced to their target. I let out an exhilarated laugh as the powerful ice spell shattered upon reaching me, but my mirth was cut short when my weaker ice spell also shattered upon striking the Shadow.

                _Tch, ice immunity? Well that sucks…_ Landing right in front of the Shadow, I pointed the Lupara towards the Shadow, only to find myself staring right into the dark barrel of one of its cannons.

                _Shit._ I quickly pulled down both of the triggers the same time the cannon barrel lit up. The Castle was pushed back a few inches from the blast of my shotgun. On the other end, I was send flying back by the blast of cannon fire, landing in a heap at least 10 meters away from the Shadow.

                “Ow….” Groaning in pain, I looked up to see Takaya and Jin grinning at me, while Chidori was looking away, shaking with silent laughter. Jin reached down towards me, and I clasped his hand. As he was pulling me up, I gasped in pain.

                “Ow, ow, careful on the back. I just slammed it against the floor you know.” Jin’s mouth twisted in distaste.

                “Well, why do you have to charge in alone like a complete-” Before Jin can finish his sentence, Takaya slapped his revolver against his leg impatiently. Grabbing our attention, the leader pointed towards the Shadow standing at the distance.

                “Jin, Caius, we are still in the middle of battle. Perhaps you can continue your argument later on?” As if to illustrate his point, the Shadow’s cannons lit up with magical energy.

                **Mamudoon.** Dark magical runes surrounded us and converged. This time the members of Strega didn’t even bother to dodge as the wave of darkness washed over us harmlessly. I chuckled to myself, and froze when I felt something slip under my hoodie and press against my back.

                “Don’t be dense. Physical contact helps conduct the energy, and unless I’m healing a group, I’d rather not summon Medea for it.” Chidori’s voice whispered into my ear. I relaxed at the voice and the familiar touch of her hand.

                “Medea, **Spring of Life**.” At her whispered command, a healing wave emitted from her palm onto my back. I hissed in pain as a few joints in my back popped back to place, and then sighed in relief as the healing spell took its effect. Slipping her hand out, Chidori walked forward and stood between me and Takaya. Jin backed up a few steps and summoned Moros.

                “Buy me a few minutes and I’ll give you a scan.” Moros knelt down and the binary code surrounding his head sped up.

                The cannons surrounding the Castle swiveled over to our direction, and a faint glow emitted from the barrels as the Shadow prepared another attack. I sighed and pointed my evoker at my temple, pulling the trigger the same time the Shadow attacked.

                Chicot materialized in front of us as the cannon balls flew closer, holding up his giant as a shield. I grunted as the cannon balls struck the giant cross heavily, sending shockwaves flying along the ground. I head the gunfire of an evoker behind me, and saw Chidori’s head lifting up from the force of the evoker shot, her red hair fanning out behind her. Next to her, Takaya was clutching his head in pain. Both were surrounded in a red summoning aura.

                “Medea, **Spring of Life**!”

                “Hypnos, **Agilao**!”

                A healing aura fell upon me while a burst of fire flew past me and Chicot, striking the Shadow and pushing it back a bit. Even so, the Shadow remained standing, and Takaya clicked his tongue in annoyance.

                “Tch. That’s weird. Usually when they’re good with ice then fire knocks them right down.” The aura of light rose around the Shadow once more as it prepared another spell.

                **Maziodyne.** Countless bolts of electricity arced out of the Shadow and traced their ways to us. My eyes widened as I spun around. Jin was crouched over and clicking rapidly on his laptop, analyzing the data that Moros was sending him and totally oblivious of the bolts of lightning coming his way.

                _You fucking dense ass Otaku son of a bitch!_ Jamming the barrel of the evoker under my chin, I pulled the trigger and Chicot tore his way out of my mind, jumping between Jin and the lightning spell.

                My body convulsed and I dropped down on one knee as the shock of the spell passed through Chicot onto me. I heard two sharp intakes of breath next to me as the rest of the Maziodyne spell was blocked by Medea and Hypnos. A chattering can be heard from Medea’s mask as she rose her goblet.

                **Spring of Life.**

                As the healing wave washed over us, Jin tapped a few more keys on his laptop and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Slamming his laptop together, he stood up as Moros dematerialized behind him.

                “Guys, its weakness is wind!”

                “With all the shit we went through to keep you safe, it better be wind!” I snarled. Takaya’s body convulsed as the red summoning aura engulfed him once more. Hypnos emerged and lifted his hands, a vortex of wind forming between his hands.

                **Garula.**

The blast of wind hit the Shadow dead center, and the giant Castle toppled over instantly. Stunned and temporarily unable to get up, the Shadow fired cannonballs around randomly. Chicot and Moros materialized as we fired our evokers and joined Hypnos and Medea in shielding the team. By the time the bombardment ended, the Castle stood up again.

                “Well shit. The analysis was correct, but that amounts to shit if we can’t get near it.” Jin muttered under his breath.

                “Three of us can’t get near it.” Takaya turned his gaze to me. “Caius, I believe rush-downs are something of a specialty of yours?” I snorted and rolled my eyes.

                “You talk as if you haven’t known me since we were kids. Knock him down again and I’ll pin it long enough for you guys to get close.” Takaya nodded, and glanced at Jin, who lifted his evoker to his forehead.

                “Hypnos (Moros)! **Garula**!” At their commands, two massive wind drills flew towards the Shadow, with me sprinting at their wake. The Shadow lifted its head and a magical aura surrounded it.

                **Maziodyne.**

                Several bolts of electricity snaked out of the Shadow and flew past the Garu spells, headed straight my way.

                _‘I guess he saw me.’_

_‘Tch. As if it even makes a difference.’_ Chicot scoffed in my mind. I chuckled in response as the lightning drew closer.

                The two wind spells crashed into the massive Shadow and knocked it flat on its back. I sprang off my feet and did a single-hand cartwheel, narrowly avoiding a lightning strike and then summersaulting over another one. As I landed, I continued my sprint towards the downed Shadow, who was firing its cannons blindly once more. Ducking and weaving around the cannon shots, I closed the distance between me and the Shadow, leaping up and pointing my evoker at my temple. The Shadow, seeing my flying figure, lit up with magical energy once more.

                **Bufudyne.**

                I laughed wildly as the ice spell washed over me harmlessly. My eyes widened as the spiritual bullet of the evoker tore through my brain, ripping Chicot out. Laughing maniacally, Chicot descended upon the Castle, pinning it on the ground with its large cross.

“Guys! It’s now or never!” The rest of Strega rushed towards the struggling Shadow as I unloaded both buck shots into the Castle. Seeing reinforcements arrive, I dematerialized Chicot, allowing a bigger target area for the rest of Strega.

                The Shadow started to stand up once more, but a burst of slam-fire from Takaya’s revolver shattered its legs beneath it. While the Castle struggled to stay upright on the stubs of its legs, Chidori’s axe came hurtling out of nowhere, crashing into the Shadow and sending it sprawling again. Jin sprinted along the Shadow’s long body, ripping off the pins of three grenades as he ran and throwing each one into a different cannon barrel. Once Jin jumped of the Shadow’s body, all of Strega sprawled onto the ground.

                The Castle made one more futile struggle before several explosions tore throw the Shadow’s body and scattered Shadowy ichor all over the place. Wiping the slick liquid out of my eyes, I stood up and walked over to the smoking pile of debris in the middle. As I rummaged through the wreckage, Takaya’s voice rang up behind me.

                “Find anything interesting?” Standing straight, I held up two gems, and Takaya nodded while Jin started tapping furiously on his laptop.

                “So, how to the calculations roll out? Do we have a decent paycheck?” I asked while walking over to the rest of Strega. Jin nodded.

                “Yeah. With those two gems that you found and the bounty offered to us on that guy’s head, we should have-”

                “Nice catch.” I spun around to the source of the unknown voice, shotgun pointed at the source and evoker pointed to my temple. The rest of Strega similarly tensed and got ready for battle. The source of the voice, a tall, lanky teenager wearing a beanie and red pea coat, held up his hands. A giant axe that vastly outsized Chidori’s lay by his feet.

                “I’m not here for a fight. I was just passing by and noticed the noise you guys made, and thought I’d come help. Turns out you guys have it covered.” Tentatively stepping forward, the newcomer reached out as if offering a handshake. “The name’s Shinjiro Aragaki.”

                Lowering his revolver, Takaya stepped forward and shook his hand. “We are Strega. I presume that you are a Persona-user?” Shinjiro’s expression darkened.

                “Tch. I am not a ‘user’ in this case. More like a ‘vessel’ for that crazy-ass thing…” I raised an eyebrow at that statement.

                _‘I thought Strega were the only ones with our predicament… unless Ikutsuki had several labs full of artificial Persona-users… Or did this Aragaki guy lose control of his natural Persona?’_

_‘No idea. But if Takaya is half the leader he is, he would…’_ As Chicot was speaking, Takaya turned to Jin.

                “Jin, pour out a few pills for our new friend here.” Shinjiro tensed. I smiled while Chidori did a tiny double-take. Jin simply nodded and crouched over his briefcase, standing up soon with a plastic phial with only two pills in it. Catching the phial as it was tossed to him by Jin, Takaya handed the phial to Shinjiro.

                “I won’t lie, this has lethal side-effects. But it will force your Persona to be more obedient. Whether it is worth it or not…” Shinjiro, who was previously eyeing the pills with distrust, perked up and snatched the pills from Takaya’s hands. His eyes flashed like a drowning man who spotted land.

                “Are you sure? This would help control Castor?”

                “Yes, it would. But as I said, it breaks down your body and soul, so it’s quite a steep price…”

                “I will gladly pay the price.” Shinjiro uncapped the phial and emptied both pills into his mouth, swallowing them whole. Takaya raised an eyebrow while I frowned. Chidori was glaring at Aragaki with distaste.

                ‘ _What kind of shit has this guy gone through to be this reckless?’_ Even Chicot was shocked at how easily Aragaki accepted the suppressants.

                Recovering from Shinjiro’s display, Takaya shrugged nonchalantly. “Fine. Have it your way. This dose is on the house, but next month we will start charging you for the pills. I’m sure you understand, since these things don’t come cheap.” Shinjiro nodded, and muttered something under his breath. Then he lifted his axe onto his shoulder and, slightly stumbling under the weight, trudged away into the darkness.

                _‘He’s growing paler by the second. I don’t think he understood exactly how poisonous those suppressants are…’_

_‘Oh, he’ll find out soon enough. But by then I think it’ll be too late.’_

Once Aragaki was a safe distance away, the members of Strega relaxed and started heading back to our shared apartment. Takaya lead the way, Jin next to him. I fell back next to Chidori.

                “So, how are you feeling?” The Lolita looked at me sideways through narrowed eyes.

                “You still haven’t explained why you spent so long checking the ‘gender’ of that lady in the coffin…” I threw up my hands in exasperation.

                “Godammit! Are you still stuck up on that?”

                “Yes.” Chidori deadpanned. I sighed and placed one of her hands in mine. She made a half-hearted attempt to pull away, but relented as I held her hand tighter.

                “Look, Chidori. I have no excuse for that. Our pasts might have caused us to mature a lot faster than other kids our age, but my body is still that of a 15 year old boy going through puberty. It’s not a good reason, but believe me when I say that I care about you the foremost.” A light blush dusted Chidori’s face at my proclamation. Reaching over, I raised her chin so that she was facing me directly.

                 “Every time I see this face, I could swear it gets more beautiful…” Murmuring under my breath, I leaned over towards Chidori…

_‘Caius, grab Chidori and duck!’_ Chicot’s voice suddenly rang out in my mind. I froze at the intensity of his voice. He doesn’t usually interrupt a moment between me and Chidori. Hell, he’s never done it before.

_‘What are you--?’_

_‘NOW!!!!’_ Trusting Chicot’s judgment, I grabbed Chidori in a tight embrace and send us both crashing to the ground. As we were falling, I felt something metallic barely brush against my back.

                Looking up from where Chidori and I were sprawled, I saw the thin, spindly figure of Medea standing in front of us. The Persona raised her dagger once more in preparation of a downwards swing. Quickly pushing Chidori aside, I rolled in the opposite direction, barely dodging Medea’s strike. Regaining my footing, I saw that the Persona was turning away from me and advancing upon its owner. I quickly jammed the evoker against my chin.

                “Don’t you dare turn your back on me! Chicot!” At the firing of the evoker, Chicot rushed at Medea, pushing her back and pinning her against the wall. With his free hand, Chicot grappled with Medea over her goblet while her dagger hand was trapped between Chicot’s cross and the wall.

                I ran over and grabbed Chidori by the shoulders. The Lolita was sobbing violently as I slightly shook her.

                “Chidori, have you been skipping your meds?!”

                “I… I…” she could barely get a few words in between her sobbing, “I just can’t take it anymore… Takaya vomiting blood, Jin shivering in the warmth of the sun… Every time I swallow one of those pills, I feel like Death is one step closer…” I looked helplessly as Chidori sobbed in front of me.

                _‘How… what… this is…’_

_‘CAIUS! Do something before--!”_ Before Chicot can finish, a burning pain engulfed both him and the part of the mind we shared, causing me to spasm in pain and topple over. _‘ARRRRGGGG! Bitch poured lava over me!’_

                Looking up, I saw Medea glaring at us with murderous intent. Raising my Lupara, I braced myself to face the angry Persona, but before either of us could make a single move, Moros came hurtling out of nowhere and crashed into Medea, pinning her against the wall. Jin came running up behind him, while I could see flashes of spells a distance behind him.

                “Guys, the Shadows are going nuts and are all converging onto this point… What’s going on here?” Jin paused, looking unsure.

                “Dude, your Persona is fighting Medea and you’re asking what’s going on?!”

                “What?! Chidori, where are your meds?!” Jin redirected his attention to Chidori, who seemed to shrink a bit as she sobbed.

                “I… I… discarded them… I just… can’t… Those pills are Death…” Snarling to himself, Jin crouched down and pulled out another phial, tossing it over. I snatched them out of the air.

                “Make sure she takes those meds, even if she--” Before he could finish his sentence, a Halberie flew out of an alleyway and chomped down at Jin’s arm, which he only managed to fend off by propping his briefcase in the Shadow’s maws. “SON OF A MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!”

                Spinning around, I noticed Moros dematerializing. Ripping Chicot out of my mind with a spiritual bullet, I sent him over to pick up Moro’s slack. As the two Persona clashed once more, I dropped to one knee in front of Chidori, holding the suppressants in one hand. The Lolita looked up at me with teary eyes. I paused, unsure of what to do.

                _‘What are you waiting for?!? SHOVE IT DOWN HER GOTH THROAT!!!!’_ Chicot screamed at me from the side.

                _‘I know, but…’_ As I wrestled with myself mentally, I heard a faint howling from my left. Darting my eyes sideways, I saw another Halberie rushing at me from the side. Instinctively lifting my left arm, I winced as the Shadow bit down on my arm. The phial of suppressants got knocked out of my hand as the two of us crashed onto the ground. Chicot shuddered at my pain.

                _‘No, stay out there and keep Medea occupied. I can deal with this giant jaw myself.’_

_‘Okay… I can try…’_ Even as Chicot agreed, both of us knew it was quite a far stretch. Persona and wielder were never meant to fight separately, and attempting to do so rarely ends well.

                Sure enough, as I was drawing my Lupara, a sudden spike of pain caused my arm to spasm and flung the gun out of reach. The Halberie took this as a chance to make another attempt at biting my head off. Grabbing onto the Shadow’s upper jaw, I grit my teeth as I held the Shadow’s maw apart.

                _‘Chicot! What happened on your side?!’_

_‘Bitch stabbed in the arm!’_

As I struggled against the Shadow, I saw Jin similarly struggling against another Halberie. The Otaku had his evoker out, but that arm was caught between the Shadow’s jaws. His other hand held a grenade, but there was no way he could use it without blowing himself up. Chicot was still struggling against Medea, and faint explosions indicated that Takaya was holding off a lot of Shadows in a distance.

                Chidori was sitting in the middle of the carnage, staring at her surroundings with a hollow expression. Reaching over, she picked up something from the floor. Holding it up, I saw that it was the phial of suppressants. Pouring two pills into her palm, I saw Chidori flash me a small, sad smile before swallowing the pills.

                The effects were immediate.

                Medea went limp, all the energy seemingly gone from her. Chidori stood up and swayed lightly from side to side as she observed the Shadows surrounding us with an empty expression. A few gun shots rang out from the side as Takaya jogged towards us, firing shots off from his shoulder. Spotting Chidori, the Leader smiled eerily.

                “I believe you are well, Chidori?”

                “I am fine.” The Lolita answered curtly before glancing at Medea. “Let’s go Medea. **Maragion**.”

                Chicot released Medea, who raised her goblet and unleashed a fiery blast upon all the Shadows surrounding us. The Halberie attacking me and Jin were incinerated almost immediately, while the other Shadows were pushed back by the flames. With no more helpless Persona-user for them to prey on, the rest of the Shadows retreated back into the darkness.

                Scrambling to my feet, I jogged towards Chidori, taking her hands in mine.

                “Chidori, you okay?”

                “Yes I am fine… Why are you so concerned? I wasn’t really a part of the fight.” Chidori looked at me with a hint of confusion. I frowned.

                “No… I mean, you seemed pretty torn up about taking the pills… so I just thought…”

                “It seems like she has understood.” Takaya’s voice rang up behind me. “What we fear is not death, what we fear is…”

                “…Attachment.” Chidori finished with a distant sounding voice. I looked at Takaya and the girl in front of me, a chill running down my spine.

                _They have died mentally. They act normally and they don’t see any difference, but they have already died inside._ I shivered at the thought. _Can I really live and function together with the dead… as one of the living?_

* * *

 

I opened my eyes, gasping for breath. I was in my bedroom, lying on my bed, and panting as though I just sprinted for several miles.

_‘That was a strange dream…’_ Eubuleus commented with an unnerved voice.

_‘Yeah… That was the start of the rift between me and the rest of Strega… and my relationship with Chidori. I…’_

_‘There was nothing you could have done Caius. That’s why we decided to leave.’_

_‘Junpei got through to her though, he let her live again… if I had just stayed for a bit longer… I wonder…’_

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I tried to prop myself up on my elbows. It was then that I realized that I couldn’t even move.

                _What the fuck?!_ A sense of panic grew in my chest.

                _‘Calm down Caius, it’s sleep paralysis.’_ Eubuleus reassured me.

                _‘What?! Oh. That. Okay, so I just wait it-’_

                Before I can finish my reply, a pair of gleaming eyes appeared above me, and the familiar oily voice appeared:

                “Are you so sure of that, Caius, Eubuleus? Are you sure that it is just sleep paralysis?” My eyes nearly popped out at that voice. That voice that’s been haunting my dreams for a long time. I opened my mouth to…. Scream? Curse? I don’t even know at this point, but only a choked wheeze comes out.

                _Calm down Caius. It’s just sleep paralysis… It’s not the first time you’ve had hallucinations during sleep paralysis, and it won’t be the last._ I told myself, hoping for Eubuleus to comment on that. But he doesn’t.

                In fact, he seems strangely… distant. The only other time that he was that distant was when-

                “When you were imprisoned by me, right?” Watanabe’s voice gloated, “Well, let’s see if I can bring a few more of those fun memories back for you…” I heard the familiar click of the switch being flicked, and an even more familiar sense of the invading force grabbing Eubuleus and pulling him out.

                My mouth opened wide in a silent scream as I saw him materialize above me, almost as though in a trance, and lifted his hands, frost gathering around him. I struggled harder against whatever it is holding me down, as Watanabe’s laugh rang across the room.

                And then I was free. As if the weight upon my chest was suddenly lifted, I shot up into sitting position. Eubuleus twitched as if waking up from a trance, and blinked confusedly. The bufu spell he was preparing to cast, being interrupted, lost its foci and dispersed in an icy blast, leaving frost all over my room. Eubuleus soon followed, dematerializing and returning to the back of my head.

                _‘Uh…huh…. Definitely sleep paralysis…’_ Eubuleus said, but his voice was slightly quivering. He was just as unnerved as I was by that little demonstration. Pushing him aside, I stood up, headed to the medical cabinet, and started rummaging through the various bottles within.

_‘Caius, what are you looking for? We know that sleep pills don’t work….’_ Eubuleus began to inquire, but as my objective became clear a sense of dread washed over him. _‘Wait, not that bottle. Caius, it’s not worth it.’_

                _‘How would you know?’_ I shot back. _‘This time I was conscious, and you still casted a spell randomly. I do not have full control over you…’_

                _‘But the side effects….’_ Eubuleus’ voice trailed off as I stared at the half-full bottle of pills in my hands. The words “Suppressants” scrawled on the bottle with a sharpie. I shook out two of the pills and held them up, breathing heavily.

                _‘Death… those pills contain death. Would I…? Should I…?’_

_‘CAIUS! Magatsu-Izanagi lives within us! Do you really want to poison Adachi’s last memento with that crap?!’_ At those words, I froze. The pills slipped out of my hand and fell into the sink.

                _‘I...I have…I almost…’_

“Hmm… judging by what I know of those pills, I would say that was a good choice.” An unfamiliar voice said. I tensed, and turned around. A young man was sitting on my sofa, looking at me tauntingly. I observed the newcomer closely.

                _Red hair, dual katana, cross scar on the face… yep, it’s him alright…_

“Sho Minazuki, I presume?”

 

               


	20. Chapter 20

                Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                The fiery-haired young man in front of me smiled tauntingly as I named him.

                “Sho Minazuki, I presume?”

                “Yep.” The man gestured at the leftover remnants of my meal lying on the tea desk. “I guess you had a good evening then. I mean, wow, dinner and a Sho! Hahahahah!” Ignoring the cackling of the punster on my sofa, I walked to one of the cabinets in the living room and pulled out a bottle of liquor. Pausing, I looked over to Sho.

                “Let’s just pretend for a while that it’s not 4 am and you are not trespassing in my house. Would you like a drink?”

                “Nah. Drinking while on the job is always whiskey business.” I rolled my eyes at his antics.

                “Well, now I definitely need one. You and your goddam puns…” Pouring myself a generous amount, I sat down across the Sho and sipped at my liquor. “So, to what do I owe this pleasure of hosting one of the failed Heralds of Doom?”

                A metallic glint shined in front of me, and I felt the cold tip of a katana pressed against my throat. Sho stood in front of me, scowling. A trickle of blood leaked down from where the katana pierced my skin.

                “Ha, you’ve got some nerves, speaking to me like that. Do you want to die?!” He snarled at me. “I just have to apply a tiny bit more pressure and you’ll bleed out faster than a koshered pig.” I smiled at his threat.

                “If you were going to do that you wouldn’t have showed yourself. From what Adachi told me about you, you could’ve taken my head off and I wouldn’t have noticed before the head hits the ground.” Placing a finger on the tip of the sword, I pushed the blade away from my neck. “But you didn’t kill me. Instead, you announced your presence and started assailing me with lame puns. That means either you’re just messing with me, in which case I’m fucked no matter what I do, or you’re under orders to contact me. In that case, you wouldn’t kill me just yet.”

                “Tch. Loser.” Sheathing his katana, Sho fell back onto the sofa. “I’m here because some guy I work for decided he wants you on the team. Why he would want a loser like you to work for him, I have no idea, but what the hell…” I frowned at his statement.

                _‘Never took him for the type to work for someone else. From what I heard, he’s even more whimsical than I am.’_

_‘He’s depowered compared to before. He can’t afford to operate completely alone. I think he realized that.’_ Eubuleus commented. I nodded to myself silently before standing up again.

                “Well then, would you excuse me as I go change into something more presentable for a job interview?” I gestured at my sleeping garments, which consists of a tank top and shorts. “This is hardly the proper attire for meeting a perspective employer.”

                “Dam, would it kill you to use some fuckin’ normal words?”

                “Well, you can say that I am kind of a Sho-off, Sho.” Sho cackled as I walked back into my bedroom. _Two can play this game…_

                As I was getting dressed, I reached out for my Persona

                _‘What do you make of this, Eubuleus?’_

_‘I don’t know. He might be just luring us into a trap, so I honestly have no idea what we should do… But…’_

_‘But what? C’mon Eubuleus, don’t leave me hanging!’_

_‘According to the memories of Magatsu-Izanagi, he won’t need to trick us in order to kill us.’_

_‘What? Magastu is in there with you?’_ My eyes widened at the thought. _‘Is Adachi-?’_

_‘Yes and no. I have full access to his memories and some of his skills, but his consciousness is gone. I’m sorry Caius, but he’s gone. I have enough information to impersonate him, but is that really what you want?’_ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, wiping away a single tear that went down my cheek.

                _‘No… it would elevate the pain, and create the illusion that he had never died. But that would be disrespectful to his memory. It is the fate of the sacrifice to die, and the survivors to mourn. Adachi fulfilled his end of the equation. Now I must fulfill mine, and live on as his killer.’_ Gritting my teeth, I pulled a hoodie over my head and started fastening the buckles of the gun belt. _‘What were we talking about before Adachi butted into the conversation?’_

_‘I was saying that Sho has no reason to trick us at all. He could’ve killed us really early on, and even now he has a pretty good chance of killing us.’_ I hummed in response, while reaching for the leather armor. A mental slap from Eubuleus stopped me. _‘No. Even with Angelic Grace, you only have a marginal chance of keeping ahead of him. You should avoid wearing anything that would burden you.’_

Nodding, I opened the door to find a very impatient Sho twirling his a combat knife on my sofa. Seeing me come out, the punster hurled the knife at me, hitting the wall directly next to my neck.

“Dam, about time!” I rolled my eyes as Sho walked over and pulled out the knife from the wall. “Wow, you didn’t dodge at all. Losing your _edge_? You’ve gotta stay _sharp_ , you know?” That was followed by a burst of cackling by the punster. I massaged my temple, a small headache forming already.

_‘You know what? When I said ‘two can play this game’ I vastly overestimated Sho’s taste in puns…’_

_‘He was raised by Ikutsuki. Did you expect anything else?’_

_‘Goddammit. I forgot he was raised by that son of a bitch. Wait, does that make us foster brothers?’_

_‘What?’_

_‘Ikutsuki is still on record as my legal guardian.’_

_‘Okay… well you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family.’_

Recovering from his laughing fit, Sho straightened up and tucked his knife away. Picking up his swords, he walked over to my television and beckoned me over. As I walked over, Sho’s hand suddenly darted out towards my collar. I flinched and started to jump back, only to feel Sho’s hand rest on my shoulder.

“Hah! Just messing with you. Did’ja think I would shove you into the TV? C’mon, that trope is so overused! I mean, what kind of lame-ass person would use a murder method that the whole world knows about? But for reals though, we’re supposed to meet the dude in the TV world. So either you can jump in, or I’ll shove you in.”

“What was that about the lame-ass murder method again?” I deadpanned. Sho snarled.

“It ain’t murder if nobody dies! Now jump in the TV before you bite off _morgue_ than you can chew!” I raised an eyebrow.

_‘Dam. He makes puns even when he’s mad. Is it sub-conscious at this point?’_

_‘Just get in the TV.’_

Brushing my hand against the TV screen, I saw ripples appear on the screen as my fingers submerged into the TV. I grabbed the sides of the TV and, after taking a deep breath, threw myself into the screen.

I was immediately assailed by a multitude of colors while I free-falled through countless frames in a seemingly never-ending tunnel. Shielding my eyes from the bright glare of the portal, I squinted around.

                _‘The fuck is this? Is this is what LSD feels like? Shit, this is really fucked up…’_

As I passed the final gate, I was suddenly aware of some sort of surface approaching me very fast. It was almost as if… as if I was about to hit the ground.

                _Well shit._

Adjusting my body positioning, I managed to land of my feet. The force of my fall rammed my knees onto the ground, causing me to grimace in pain. Behind me, Sho landed with a heavy thud, looking equally uncomfortable as his knees hit the ground.

                “Dam, your TV is really fucking high up. Usually you don’t fall that far…”

                “Usually you don’t place a TV with a portal in mind.” I retorted as I stood up. Brushing dust off my jeans, I looked around. We were in the middle of what seemed like a grass plain, with a river shimmering in the distance. The sun shined down, providing us with a pleasant warmth. The scenery was straight out of a postcard.

                _‘Looks like a good place for a picnic.’_

_‘Can’t disagree there.’_

                Turning around to face the punster next to me, I asked: “So. Where to now?”

“Follow me. It shouldn’t be too far from here.” Sho simply turned around and started walking. Shrugging to myself, I followed in his wake.

                “So, anything I might want to know about this guy who wants to employ me?”

                “Heh. His preferred title is pretty cheesy, and he won’t tell me his real name. I guess you can say that he thinks he’s one of the _grater_ forces at work. Hehehehe…” As Sho chuckled, I silently face-palmed.  _Does his puns know no end?_

                As we walked on in silence (I was far too wary of his puns to risk any more conversation), I noticed that we were walking closer to a giant pile of clouds. Within the clouds were cartoonish rainbows, marble walls, and giant bean stocks. As we drew even closer, I found myself staring at a set of golden gates.

                “Dam… Is this what Christians see when they die?”

                “Well, if any normal Christian showed up here, they’ll be here _to_ die.” Sho replied. “In this place, there are Shadows in every dark corner! Although ever since I started hanging out here more, they’ve been a lot more _holey-er_ than usual!” The punster doubled over with laughter once more, while I just sighed and walked up to the golden gates.

                _‘Welcome to Heaven… where none of us belong.’_ Eubuleus and I shared a chucke. _‘Eubuleus, do you think we have to fight our way through this one?’_

_‘Nope. The Shadows here are too weak to pose that much of a threat to us. And even if we do encounter one, it would have no reason to attack us.’_

_‘Persona-users are quite tasty for a Shadow. And I bet there’s enough of them to Zerg Rush us.’_

_‘There’s always enough Shadows to Zerg rush you. But Shadows operate on pure, raw, human emotions, which includes selfishness and self-preservation. Which Shadow would step forth and take your hit while the others flank you? None. And thus you are safe.’_

_‘Hmpf. Well that’s comforting…’_

Walking past me, Sho threw open the doors and started to walk in. “Don’t worry. I’ve pretty much cleaned this place out, so any Shadows that might have survived would not be a threat to us at all. C’mon, we have a lot of bean stalks to climb. And we better do it fast or else our ears would bleed out. Ya’ know, because _beans talk_? Hahahaha…”

                Sighing to myself, I followed Sho into the gates of Heaven. True to his word, all the Shadows shrank away in fear at the sound of our footsteps. Unfortunately, the beanstalks were not as yielding to Sho’s intimidation, and didn’t make life easier for us. By the time we reached the 10th floor, I was panting heavily from the exertion of climbing beanstalk after beanstalk.

                _‘We… are… really… outta shape…’_

_‘Uh, no. YOU are out of shape. I am a spiritual aspect of you, and thus I am not bound by the physical concepts of ‘staying in shape’, so-’_

_‘I GET IT. Shut up.’_

Straightening up, I looked around. We were in front of an open gateway, with a golden bridge leading towards a giant island-like structure in the middle. The structure was composed of various rising platforms, which added to the whole level of mystique.

                _‘Wow, whoever dreamt this up really wanted to look fabulous as people approached them.’_ I chuckled at Eubuleus’ comment while walking towards the top of the platforms with Sho. At the center of the top platform stood a tall figure wrapped in a trench coat that looked like it was from WWII. The figure had its back to us, but from what I could see, a military cap adorned its head, and the rest of its body was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze and bandages. A muffled voice emitted from it.

                “Thank you Minazuki. Would you leave us now? I would like to have a private word with our guest.”

                Sho snarled with distaste at being ordered around, but turned and left nevertheless. As he disappeared into the clouds surrounding the platform, the figure turned around to face me. I saw the glint of a badge on the cap. Squinting, I did a double-take when I made out the distinct shape of a swastika.

                _‘Hitler’s Nazi Party. Why the fuck are they in the TV world? In Japan, no less?!’_

                Noticing my surprise, the figure reached up and stroked the sigil on his cap absent mindedly.

                “I am not surprised that you recognize this symbol. Unfortunately it has been tainted by humans of your world. The swastika has been a symbol of peace for several millennia before the human known as Adolf Hitler adopted and tarnished it. But enough about that. I am the one who sent Minazuki to contact you. You may call me the Grandmaster.” I raised an eyebrow.

                _‘Wow. Sho wasn’t joking when he said that his preferred title is cheesy.’_

_‘He can say whatever he wants about the swastika, he still looks like a reanimated Egyptian pharaoh who decided to join the Third Reich.’_ As the two of us were speaking, the Grandmaster continued his spiel.

                “Caius Gevauden, I have been observing you for quite a while. And I have come to the conclusion that you have the kind of mindset and talent that I require. You are, at your core, a mercenary, loyal only to the highest bidder, yes?”

                “Not quite.” The Grandmaster fell silent at my objection. “Do not compare me to those wannabes who switch sides once somebody offers them a higher price. Sure, when I don’t have a contract I might be swayed one way or another on which job pays better or which job seems more fun. But once I make a decision to serve under someone’s payroll, it’s final. Or to be more accurate, I would remain completely loyal to my employer, as long as my employer remains loyal to me and keeps me under their employment.”

                “Hmm… A trustworthy mercenary… I have observed the world for a long time, and I must say people of your type are rarely found…” The Grandmaster mused, as if talking to himself, “But my point still stands. Your contract with the Shadow Operatives have recently come to an end, no? That frees you of any obligations to them. Am I correct?”

                “Yes, although I am kinda concerned of how you know so much… Who are you?”

                “Would my answer influence your decision of whether or not to enter my employment?”

                “Depends on the answer.” I shrugged, “But you can always remain silent. Hell, half the point of Mercs like me is that we don’t ask questions. What you could spend more time elaborating on, however, is the nature of being your employee and how much you’re willing to pay me.”

                “Wunderbar. Now we’re talking business. If you enter my employment, you would be basically acting as a field agent loyal to me. I would send you out on various missions, most if not all of them would pertain to Shadows and Personas in various ways. Most, if not all of them would also be illegal in one way or another. I assume legality isn’t an issue for you?”

                “Lets the heroes keep their laws. I don’t care either way. Now, what about payment?” The Grandmaster nodded.

                “Das ist gut. I would provide monetary payment equivalent to what the Shadow Operatives were paying you. And also, since you would be carrying out missions with only Minazuki as a teammate, I could throw in a bit of an extra…” The Grandmaster waved his hand towards an empty patch of space. Shadowy tendrils formed out of nowhere and clumped together to form two figures, one on its feet, and one lying on the ground. I looked at the one standing, and clenched my fists as Watanabe’s haughty smile met my visage. Then I glanced at the second figure, only to avert my eyes the moment I saw who it was.

                _Adachi…_

It wasn’t just Adachi. It was Adachi moments after his death, his face frozen with a glazed-over smile and the handle of my dagger protruding from his chest. The form in which he appeared in all my nightmares. My fingers twitched as I remembered my best friend’s last heartbeats vibrating through the blade into my palm.

                _Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

“These two people have been haunting your dreams for quite a while… If you so wish, I could make them go away as bonus payment for your services…” The Grandmaster intoned. I glared at him.

                “Okay… Exactly who are you? Or more exactly, WHAT are you? And why would you need me or Sho to work under you when you obviously have so much power?”

                “You mistake the power of perception and telepathy for martial abilities. I might be the most experienced and knowledgeable being around, but I am far from invincible or invulnerable. Is it so strange that I may want to hire mercenaries to fight for me? And as for what I am, I suppose we can agree that it is not as important as what I can offer you. So what do you say about my offer?”

                I bit my lower lip as I considered his offer.

                _‘Eubuleus. What do you think?’_

_‘From face value, sounds like a decent gig. You do a few jobs, you get paid, and you start getting a good night’s sleep as well.’_

_‘But the Grandmaster looks shady as hell. And he’s either an extremely powerful sensory Persona-user, or an extremely powerful, and intelligent, Shadow…’_

_‘In both cases, you still don’t want to be against him. I mean, either he’s a good boss, which means we get a really good gig. Or he’s all evil, and in that case we would not want to piss him off without any reason or back-up.’_

_‘So your suggestion is we take this job offer at face value, and just accept it.’_

_‘Yeah. What’s with you Caius? You weren’t that picky on jobs before.’_

_‘In all my other contracts, I always had a good measure of my clients. The Grandmaster though… I can’t get a feel for the guy. He just seems… empty. Makes my skin crawl.’_

_‘I understand that. And notice how Sho obeys him like a loyal dog? Sho, of all people! But either way, take the deal. If he wanted to screw us over, there’s easier ways than this.’_

_‘I suppose you’re right.’_

                I turned around to face the Grandmaster.

                “I’ll take your offer. But only get rid of Watanabe. Leave Adachi.” The Grandmaster didn’t move, but his voice registered a hint of dull surprise.

                “Why? Why not get rid of them both? They both haunt your dreams, no?”

                “There’s a difference… One of them is an unwanted intruder to my psyche, while the other is a burden which I am obligated to bear. Call it irrational if you will, but those are my additional terms. Take it or leave it.” The Grandmaster nodded solemnly.

                “It shall be done.” As he spoke, the images of Watanabe and Adachi shimmered and disappeared. At the same time, I heard footsteps behind me and turned around, seeing Sho walking towards the two of us with a furious look on his face.

                “What the hell, Grandmaster? Do I look like a fucking dog to you? You can’t just dismiss me and then expect me to Sho up again just by a telepathic flick of your mind!!!”

                “You have been very helpful to me, Sho, and I apologize if I angered you.” The Grandmaster’s tone was unchanging. “Now that Gevauden is in my employment as well, I have a mission for both of you. You have ample time to prepare, since you would only have to fulfill this within the next month.

                “I need you two to kidnap Taro Namatame, the mayor of Inaba.”

               


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

_December 15 th, 2009, Sumaru City_

A man was crouched over the limp body of a woman, a cloth held firmly over her mouth and nose. After checking into the woman’s eyes, he removed the cloth and placed it into his pocket. Quickly searching through the woman’s purse, the man removed cash and card before placing it back into the woman’s hand bag. Chuckling to himself, the man pulled the woman’s prone body into a fireman carry and turned around to leave.

                “Leaving so soon?” A voice rang out. The man flinched and dropped the woman, who landed heavily on the ground. In a flash, the man was turned towards the direction of the voice, a switchblade in hand.

                “Oh gosh. What a shiny blade. That is adorable.” A hooded figure walked out from the shadows, blue eyes staring out under crow black hair. Behind him stood a large flat screen tv on top of a cart. The man snarled.

                “Who are you an’ what the hell you doing here?! Get lost!!” The figure merely chuckled and started walking forwards.

                “You seem quite experienced with your… ‘art’, so to speak. Silent stalking and a quick chloroformed rag to the mouth. I must say, that lady didn’t stand a chance against you. What, is she number 15 or 16? You must have had at least a dozen victims before to reach this kind of expertise…” The hooded figure taunted as he walked closer. The man’s eyes widened, and a deep guttural growling started coming out of his throat.

                “Shit… ya saw the whole thing? Well then…” A sinister chuckle came from the man as he slightly lowered the knife. Suddenly, he lunged, knife flashing towards the hooded figure’s throat. “Now DIE!!!!”

                As the knife flashed towards his throat, the hooded figure ducked and stepped forward, dodging the knife strike and stepping closer to the man. Grabbing the man’s wrist, the hooded figure used the man’s forward momentum and swung the man towards the direction of the flat screen tv. The man tried to regain his footing, only to find a hand clamped around his throat and forcing him back.

                “What the fuck are you do-?” The man’s question was cut short as he noticed part of his body was sinking into the tv screen. “What the fuck??!! What the--?” A swift kick from the hooded figure sent the man tumbling back into the screen. And echoed scream emitted from the television as the ripples died down. The hooded figure looked back at the lady lying prone on the ground before turning away.

                As the figure was pushing the tv away, a buzz came from his pocket, and a melody started playing.

                * _Oshiete oshiete yo sono shikumi wo, boku no naka ni dare ga iru no?_

_kowareta kowareta yo kono sekai de, kimi ga warau nanimo miezu ni-*_

                Pulling out his ringing cell phone, the figure snorted in a mixture of amusement and exasperation before answering.

                “Hey Sho. How are things at your end?”

                _“Oh, y’know, shoving people into TV’s. Getting all pushy and stuff. The usual.”_

“Really? I just shoved one in myself. I have to say I kinda understand why Adachi got a kick out of this.”

                _“Eh, I miss the blood splatter. Say, you never did tell me why we’re doing this, Caius.”_

“You never asked. I expected you to ask, but you were so wired about getting to kill people that you never asked. Anyway, not over the phone. I’ll tell you later.”

                _“Alright then. Anyways… I’m about 10 meters away from a guy that looks like he needs some reality tv, so peace!”_ The line cut off and Caius chuckled in amusement before pushing the tv further into the dark alley.

* * *

 

_December 25 th, 2009_

                I started up a fresh pot of coffee as I waited for my laptop to boot up. The smell of French Roast wafted through the air as the ancient laptop wheezed to life.

                “W’sup, man?” Turning back, I saw Sho’s head sticking out of the TV. “Making coffee huh? Well, it does help you wake up and _expresso_ yourself better!” I rolled my eyes before pouring out two cups of coffee.

                _‘Does his puns know no end?’_

_‘I don’t know. It’s starting to grow on me.’_ Eubuleus chimed in. _‘You know, it might be an acquired taste, just like coffee. Becomes part of the daily grind, you know?’_

_‘I will not permit a pun mutiny in my mind.’_

_‘Aw, you’re no fun.’_

                Waving Sho into the apartment, I set a mug of coffee in front of him and sat down in front of my laptop. The punster took a sip of the drink and then leaned back on his chair.

                “So what’s on the agenda for today? Are we finally gonna go kidnap that sonofabitch that we were assigned to?” I raised my eyebrow as an edge entered Sho’s voice.

                “I sense some resentment from you. Do you have any reason to be mad at me?”

                “I don’t get why you keep on telling me to wait before going to kidnap Nametame. I mean, you even asked the Grandmaster for a time extension and everything! The guy was a loser even when he had his powers, and now he’s just a loser who lost another game!” I snorted with amusement as I tapped on my laptop.

                “I’m not really worried about Nametame. The problem lies with who he knows and where he is. He has ties to the Shadow Operatives through the Investigation Team, and also he is the mayor of the hometown of the Investigation Team. While I’m willing to bet that between the two of us we are more than a match for the Shadow Operatives, I’d rather not carry out the mission with a group of angry Persona-users assailing us.”

                “Then why set the operation date at New Year’s Eve?! Everyone in the Investigation Team would be in town at that time!”

                “Well, that is part of the plan to bypass another threat to our operation.” I looked up at Sho, who looked practically livid now. I smiled and raised a hand in a calming gesture. “A certain guardian deity that watches over the little town of fog.”

                “What, the Lame Goddess of Inaba?! Why would you even consider her a threat?!!”

                “Lame or not, she’s still a Goddess, and I’d rather not risk a head-on confrontation with a Goddess, just as I would rather avoid confronting the Shadow Operatives head on, unless they are our direct targets. God does not play dice, and neither should we.”

                “And you think that having the full Investigation Team in town adds to our possibility of pulling the job off?!”

                “Nope.” I tapped a few more keys on the laptop and pulled up a news window. A grin crept up my face. “The Investigation Team would not be in town for New Year’s Eve, no matter how much they want to and how much their family pleads them to.”

                “Why do you say that?”

                “Our little killing spree has paid off. The Shadow Operatives would be working overtime this year.” Turning my laptop around, I showed Sho the news article I was looking at. Sho grinned.

                _Inaba Killer Resurfaces?! 10 Corpses found Hanging on Power lines in Sumaru City!_

 “Now that’s more like it. So what’s the rest of your plan? I don’t think you’ll just leave this hanging around open.”

                “So you’ve come around. Good. Now listen closely…” I leaned forward and muttered hushed instructions to Sho. His smile widened.

* * *

 

_December 31 st 2009, 11:50 pm, Inaba_

                I downed my cup of amazake as I sat on a bench in a well hidden corner of the Inaba Shrine. Sho sat next to me, a hood hiding his distinctive red hair. The punster was staring at his cup of Amazake impatiently.

                “Chill Sho, and enjoy your amazake. We’ve got 10 more minutes before shit hits the fan, so might as well relax a bit before the job.”

                “I just can’t wait. It’s almost the countdown for midnight, the moment to die for!” Sho chuckled at his own joke. I sighed.

                “Godammit, Ikutsuki really rubbed off on you right?” I refilled my cup of amazake and took a deep swig. “I remember he used to tell the same puns all the time…”

                “What? You knew Dad?” I almost choked on the amazake as I heard Sho said “Dad”.

                _‘Wow. He’s more screwed up than we thought….’_ Eubuleus remarked in the back of my head. I silently agreed.

                “You still call him ‘Dad’? I mean, I know that he was your only father figure, but…” Sho’s expression darkened at my inquiry.

                “What do you know about him? You’ve never even--”

                “Don’t you dare claim that I don’t know the guy. He adopted me just so he can use me as a control group for some of his experiments on artificial Personas. And then he decided to terminate the experiment, with me still in it.” Sho eyes widened at that.

                “Wait, he adopted you? Then…”

                “Yes. As different as we are… I guess we still share a similar past, brother.” I looked back at the amazake. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Finding out that you technically have a family after spending a few years thinking that you’re alone in this world.” Sho remained silent. I took a drink. “So… why do you still feel that much attachment to Ikutsuki? Enough to keep calling him ‘Dad’ anyway.”

                “I… don’t remember his betrayal. I wasn’t around when it happened…” Sho began with a low voice. “I just remember screwing up in an experiment, and then waking up in a hospital several years later. All the memory I have of Ikutsuki’s betrayal came from Minazuki’s account, and now with him gone… There really isn’t anything concrete for me to base my hatred for Dad, so it just kinda… dissipated.” Sho fell silent. I took a deep breath and released it in a hiss.

                “I know. It does happen. Hell, I remembered his betrayal and it still happened. To me, to Strega. We just kinda accepted him again after a while. Hell, having him be the one handing us massive paychecks didn’t hurt either… But sometimes bonds are a strange thing, even for those of us who are accustomed to death and solitude…”

Checking my watch, I saw that it was almost time. Taking Sho’s cup, I filled it and my own with amazake, passing it back to the punster.

“It’s almost Sho-time. A toast before we start?” Sho looked at me for a second before receiving the cup. We raised the cups as the crowd in front of the shrine started the countdown.

                “FIVE!!!”

                “This is to the new year, and to family.” I raised the cup a bit further.

                “FOUR!!!”

                Sho smirked. “For the new year. And fuck family. I’d still shiv your ass any day of the week.”

                “THREE!!!”

                “Fair enough. I’m pretty sure I would do the same if necessary. Bottoms up.”

                “TWO!!!”

                The two of us touched cups. As we drank, I turned around and scanned my eyes across the crowd, picking Nametame from the crowd. He was standing in the center of the crowd.

                “ONE!!!”

                Tapping Sho on the shoulder, I pointed towards Nametame. He nodded, a maniacal grin creeping up his face.

                “HAPPY NEW-” The massive New Year’s greeting was cut short as the Dark Hour cut in. The bright festive lights were immediately replaced by the signature green hue of the Dark Hour, while the gathered crowd were replaced by a small forest of coffins.

                “Really gives you a whiplash huh?” I joked to Sho while dragging out a box that we hid behind the bushes. Quickly unpacking, I revealed a wide-screen tv with a small box duct taped to the side. Sho grabbed one end of it and we both heaved it onto a small cart.

                “Whiplash or not, our mayor needs his New Year’s TV show, and this year I think we can show him the back stage! Hahahahahahah!” Sho cackled as the tv fit into place. “So, which one is Nametame again?” I face palmed.

                “Goddamit Sho, I just showed you where he was!! Look, it’s that one over there.” I pointed towards one of the coffins in the center. Sho just stared at me blankly.

                “Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? There’s gotta be 20 or so coffins in the pile that you’re pointing at!”

                “Okay, you know what? Fuck you and your shitty memory. Just follow me.” Sho opened his mouth to argue, but I quickly cut through his retort. “Look, we have one hour to pull this shit off. We shouldn’t waste time arguing.” Leading the way, I walked towards the cluster of coffins where Nametame was.

                “What are you boys doing?” An annoyed voice rang up. Turning around, I saw a black haired girl in a black business suit and glasses glaring at us. “Why do I find two suspicious men lurking around in my town during an hour in which they shouldn’t be aware of?”

                “Well, well, well, it seems like our special guest of honor is here! The guardian deity of Inaba comes to save the townsman. Just like it was last year. But unfortunately, none of her friends are here to help her.” I expanded my chest melodramatically and slowly turned around, leering at the girl sideways with a lopsided grin. “Isn’t that right now, Mar-rie-chan?” Marie flushed angrily as I drew out each syllable of her name mockingly.

                “Don’t call me that! I recognize your friend, and I demand that you leave my town, or else I’ll kick you out myself!”

                “Oh boy… The Goddess is angry. And we don’t have a God on our side… what shall we do?” I intoned mockingly. Then I looked at Sho. “Sho, I don’t think I can show you where Nametame is, so you’ll have to find him through trial and error. As long as you close the coffin lids before they wake up, none of them should remember anything.” Sho nodded with a grin, and started walking to the nearest coffin. A loud crackle of energy grabbed my attention back to Marie. She was basically sparking with electricity, and her face was positively livid.

                “Don’t you ignore me!” As she shouted, the electricity intensified. I felt a huge sense of pressure surrounding Sho and I as the Goddess prepared to strike. As she looked at me, I noticed one of her pupils have turned into a neon-colored lens. Despite the fact that I had a secure plan in mind, a hint of dread still entered the back of my mind.

                _‘So this is the power of a Goddess…’_

_‘Good job idiot. You pushed her over the edge. And we will all die now. Hell hath no fury like a Goddess angered.’_ Eubuleus commented.

                _‘Shut up and stick to the plan.’_ I retorted as I drew the evoker and pointed it to my temple.

                “Are you willing to sacrifice all of Inaba to sate your hatred?!” As my finger tightened around the trigger, I shouted out to Marie. The Goddess hesitated, and halted her strike.

                “What do you mean?” Signaling Sho to continue searching for Nametame, I grinned at Marie.

                “Well Marie-chan, how familiar are you with the workings of the Dark Hour?”

                “I understand it well enough.” She growled.

                “Perfect. Well, then I suppose you know that the only thing keeping non-Persona-users safe from the Shadows during the Dark Hour are their coffins. If allowed to stay in the Dark Hour for too long, even if an active Shadow doesn’t attack them, an untrained and unequipped individual would still succumb to the heavy Shadow magic in the air, and turn into a Shadow. And by the way, these coffins are very _breakable_.” Marie’s eyes widened as she caught on to what I was saying.

                “WHAT?! You intend to…?!”

                “Yes Marie-chan, I am taking the whole town hostage. If you make any sudden moves, I will break all the coffins in this area, and then Sho and I would attack you. We would die in that battle, I am quite sure of that, but I am confident of our abilities to buy enough time for every person in this shrine to either be consumed by a Shadow or become a Shadow.” Marie’s eyes widened with horror as I detailed the full consequences of my threat.

                “How many people would be left in Inaba? Perhaps only a handful. In fact, after we’re done here, Chernobyl would look heavily populated in comparison. Just in that brief moment before the Dark Hour, Sho here has pointed out the local blacksmith, tailor, tofu shop owner, and most importantly, the Dojimas. Every single one of them would die if you even attempt to stop us from taking Nametame.”

                “YOU!!! You wouldn’t…”

                “We both know that this is not a question of what I would or would not do.” I smiled at Marie’s horrified face, “It’s basically down to whether or not you want to risk it. Will you give up one man to ensure your whole town’s safety? Or would you place your trust in your abilities to subdue Sho and I before your townsfolks gets slaughtered by Shadows?” Silence permeated the air as Marie stared at me with a mixture of anger, horror, and disgust, broken only by the occasional creaking of hinges as Sho searched through the coffins.

                Then the Goddess took a few deep breathes, and released the energy surrounding her. I relaxed a bit, but kept my evoker raised at my temple, just in case. When Marie opened her eyes and looked at me, the eyes have reverted to their normal green orbs and were filled with sadness and resignation.

                “Why do you have to kill him? He’s been working so hard in the last two years to turn his life around. I’ve seen him take every single step since the murder incidents, yet…”

                “To be honest, I don’t know why we’re taking him. I just know that someone paid me a good price to do so.” Marie’s eyes widened.

                “What?! So you don’t even know why you have to kidnap him? You idiotmurdererpsychopath…” I let out a low chuckle as Marie muttered a string of insults.

                “No, I don’t know why we’re kidnapping him, nor do I know what’s going to happen to him. I have an educated guess on both of these questions, but I do not have the answers. It’s a job I do to survive and pays the bills, and there’s just too many goddam reasons why the target must die. Some good, but most bad.

                “After a while, you’d stop caring about exactly why the other guy is dying. It’s good enough to know that the other person is dying for something they did. Whether that warrants their death or not, maybe, maybe not. But it’s not my place to judge my clients and targets. It’s a job, and that’s all there is to that.” Marie was staring at me with wide eyes during my monologue.

               “Do you really live your life like this? Is there nothing that you strive for, only a string of jobs and a blind desire to survive?” She asked softly. “How can you live your life as merely an instrument? As a puppet pulling its own strings?”

               “I…” my voice trailed off as I contemplated Marie’s words. “I…” I opened my mouth once more, but my voice trailed off once more as I failed to articulate a response.

               “Hey Caius, I found him!” Sho’s voice broke through the silence. Without taking my eyes off Marie, I responded:

               “Pull him over here, shove him in the TV, and jump in yourself! I’ll be right behind you!”

               The punster returned carrying the limp form of Nametame in a fireman’s carry and quickly dropped the mayor into the tv screen. As Sho started clambering into the tv, he turned back and looked at me.

               “I need to lock the door. Don’t worry, I’m not the type to make heroic sacrifices.”

               “Okay then. I guess you do have the _key_ to survival. Seeya on the other end!” With that, the punster disappeared into the ripples on the screen. I backed slowly towards the TV, my eyes on Marie. The Goddess didn’t make any move to stop me, and only stood there observing me.

               Rummaging through my bag, I pulled out a grenade. Biting down on the pin firmly, I wrenched it out of the explosive and looked at the Goddess.

               “Well… Seeya later, Ma-rie-chan…” With those words, I dropped the grenade and leaned back into the TV screen, falling head-down into the portal.

                As I back flipped and landed in the TV world, the portal from which I entered vanished with a loud explosion.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                Straightening up, I found Sho standing nearby with the limp form of Nametame at his feet. The punster turned around and smiled at me.

                “Well I see that you escaped the mess with the Lame Inaba Goddess. Quite a _clean_ getaway if you ask me.” The punster chuckled at his joke. I grinned tiredly.

                “Wow Sho, now you have to set up your own puns. I think you’re losing your touch.” A glint flashed in front of me, and I swiftly drew my dagger in response. Sparks flew as my dagger clashed against Sho’s katana, stopping it mid-swing. Darting my eyes along the length of Sho’s blade, I smiled at the punster, who only had a slightly annoyed expression as he pulled back his sword.

                “Is it just me, or are you losing your _edge_? I mean, even if I didn’t block it, the blade would’ve barely scratched my nose.” I smiled teasingly at Sho. “Or do you actually care for me, brother?”

                “Shut up.” The punster growled as he sheathed his katana. “Brother or not, you’re annoying as hell.” Smirking, he pointed towards the crossed scars on his face. “Don’t make me pull a _Scar_ on you. Long live the king indeed.” I laughed out loud.

                “Oh, right in the childhood! You’re good at this.” Turning around, I saw Nametame stirring. “So now we have to deal with this guy. I assume the Grandmaster wants us to bring him to Heaven?”

                “Yep. We’re bringing him to Heaven, and the Grandmaster would be sending him to Heaven from there.” Walking over to a barely conscious Nametame, Sho grabbed one arm and lifted the mayor up. “It’s not far from here. A little help?” Shrugging, I walked over and grabbed Nametame’s other arm and helped Sho prop the man up. Shifting the man’s weight around a bit, we started walking towards the direction of Heaven. After ten minutes or so of walking, the Heavenly Gates were already in view.

                “I… where am I? Why am I…” Nametame mumbled incoherently between us. The mayor lifted his head and looked around him. “This is… oh god… this can’t be…”

                With a garbled cry, the mayor suddenly started struggling violently, twisting left and right in my grasp. On the other hand, Sho snarled as he struggled to maintain his grip on the struggling mayor.

                “NO! NONONONONONO! I WILL NOT…. I CAN NOT… I…” Nametame’s desperate cries were blocked out as Sho lost his temper and started pummeling the mayor.

                “Just…shut…the…fuck…up…and…come…quietly…with…us!!!” Sho snarled, punctuating every word with a punch. Blood splattered from Nametame’s face, staining his shirt and Sho’s fist. His eyes rolled upwards, but the mayor kept on struggling, further provoking Sho and causing the punster to speed up his pummeling.

                _‘Say what you would about the guy’s history, he’s determined if nothing else. Sho’s punches are no joke.’_ Eubuleus commented at the back of my head.

                _‘I think he’s just desperate. God this is painful to watch.’_ Walking forward, I caught Sho’s fist as he wound up for another punch. The punster turned around to me, fury blazing in his eyes.

                “The fuck you doing? This guy is seriously pissing me off, and don’t you dare stop me!”

                “Whoa, chill.” I raised a hand peaceably. “The Grandmaster said ‘capture him’, not pummel him to death. There’s an easier way to do this.”

                Pulling Nametame, who was barely clinging onto consciousness, closer to me, I wrapped an arm around his neck and clenched tight. The mayor’s hands clawed weakly against my arm as I tightened my grasp.

                _1....2…3…4….5…_

I counted the seconds as Nametame’s face turned red, and his struggling started to weaken.

                … _6…7…8…9…10!_

                At the tenth second, I released my chokehold and the mayor collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. Crouching down, I massaged Nametame’s throat to get his blood flowing through his neck again, preventing the mayor from choking on his own blood. As Nametame’s breathing slowly stabilized, I looked up and smiled at Sho.

                “See? There are much less dynamic methods of getting him to cooperate.” Reaching down, I grasped Nametame’s limp form and pulled him onto my shoulders. Sho was laughing and slowing clapping.

                “That was truly a _breathtaking_ performance. I’m impressed.” I snorted.

                “Shut your pie hole and help me get this guy up to the top. I’m not carrying him up all those bean stalks.” Chuckling, Sho grabbed the other end of Nametame’s body, lifting the mayor up and helping carry him through the Gates of Heaven.

                “By the way, how were you so sure that blowing up the TV would stop the Lame Goddess from going after us?” As we were hauling Nametame up one of the beanstalks, Sho asked.

                “I wasn’t sure. I just knew that blowing up the TV would stop most Persona-users from following us. For a Goddess such as Marie, however, I just banked on that fact that it will hinder her, and she would have to remain behind to contain the damage of that grenade. That was a military-grade fragmentation grenade, and I’m pretty sure that Marie would have recognized it as at least something that would endanger everyone in her town and would do all she could to contain it. As a Goddess, that shouldn’t be too hard for her.

                “I placed my bets on the fact that it would delay her long enough for us to make it to Heaven. Once we’re here, it’s pretty much Grandmaster’s turf, and I think it’s safe to assume that he is some sort of cosmic entity, similar to Ameno-Sagiri and Marie. Since we’re working for him, I counted on the fact that he’ll stand up for us, or perhaps his presence would make Marie less willing to chase after us alone.”

                “Wow, that’s a lot of ‘maybes’ in your plan. When it comes down to it, you’re putting a lot of faith upon the Grandmaster actually caring to show up and intervene on our behalf.” Sho paused, heaving Nametame’s legs up the beanstalk while I pulled from the top. “For all we know if Marie catches up to us, he could just swoop in, grab Nametame, and leave us to fend for ourselves.” Dragging Nametame up onto the level, I reached down and clasped Sho’s hand, pulling him up to my level with a grunt.

                “Well Sho, when it comes down to it, as a mercenary you just have to place a certain amount of trust into your employers.” I sat down and leant against one of the walls, momentarily catching my breath. “Trust that they won’t randomly send you on a suicide mission, and trust that if you have something that your employer wants, they would do their best to save you, even if it’s just for the sake of getting what they want. And of course, you have to be confident in your own abilities.”

                “Yeah? So how does that work for you?” Sho sat down next to me with a grunt. Nametame was still lying unconscious between us.

                “Well, pretty well so far. I just have to make sure that I’m valuable enough so that my employers would at least think twice before deciding to blow me up and buy some new hired guns. And seeing that I’m one of the few known Persona users that haven’t been swept permanently under the wing of the Shadow Operatives, I’d say I’m more or less secure. A bit less so with Grandmaster as my boss, just because he’s not human and I can’t read him, but I’m still far above cannon fodder.” Standing up, I grabbed Nametame under the armpits and started lifting him up. “Now quit lazing around and help me get this guy to the top. We’ve got a delivery to make.”

                “Really? Right now? Can’t we just _tape_ our time gift-wrapping it for the Grandmaster? I mean, we are quite _presently_ employed by him…” I raised my eyebrows while Sho busted into a fit of laughter. After a while, I joined in.

                “Oh wow, you’ve really gotten good.” I said between laughs, wiping tears of mirth from my eye. “Two interlocking puns! I’ve got to say you’re a lot better at this than Ikutsuki. Now help me carry this sonofabitch up to the top level.” Laughing amiably (or as amiably as he ever could), Sho grabbed Nametame’s legs as we continued to ascend to the Heavens.

* * *

 

                Nametame’s landed with a heavy grunt as we dropped him unceremoniously in the middle of the Heaven’s peak. I stretched, feeling all my joints pop. Beside me, Sho did the same before looking around.

                “Okay, we brought Nametame here. Now where is the Grandmaster? It’s gonna be hard to cash in our work if he’s not around to receive it.”

                “I know. I guess we just have to be patient, and-” I tensed as Eubuleus stirred at the back of my head.

                _‘Caius, I sense Shadows. Lots of them.’_

_‘Um, Eubuleus, we are in the TV world. I think Shadows are a given.’_

_‘No, you don’t understand. Normal Shadows are driven by pure, neutral instinct. These guys… I’m no sensory type, but the malice in the air is unmistakable. I think Tsukuyomi agrees with me.’_

_‘Tsukuyomi?’_

_‘Sho’s Persona. What, did you think that I just sit patiently at the back of your head, twiddling my thumbs while you mess around with Sho? No, I talk with his Persona, the same way as I used to talk with Strega’s Personas. But enough of that, brace yourself. Something is coming.’_

Looking around, I noticed that Sho was also looking around with wild eyes. Catching my eye, he shuffled closer.

                “Something is not right here. I… I can feel it.” Sho muttered to me in a low voice. I nodded.

                “Yeah, Eubuleus told me. There’s a large gathering of malicious Shadows around here, so we should stay on our toes.” Sho’s eyes widened.

                “Who told you?” The punster’s question came

                “Eubuleus.” I replied, surprised at Sho’s reaction. “My Persona. Why?” Sho’s eyes widened even more, and a low, barely audible gasp escaped his lips.

                “You can… talk to your Persona?”

                “Yes… can’t you? I mean, the other members of Strega can communicate with their Personas just fine, so I don’t think that I am an exception.”

                “Really…” Sho fell silent. I waited for the punster to speak, but he remained silent.

A groan came from below us, and we both looked down to see Nametame slowly sitting up, rubbing his neck. As the mayor’s eyes focused, his body tensed and an expression of utter horror froze on his face. Sho and I jumped apart and entered fighting stances as a small whirlwind of Shadows stirred up, surrounding the whole plaza. Slow footsteps echoed clearly through the howling of the wind, drawing closer with each click.

“Well, well, well, the ego bothers to return to the id.” Out of the whirlwind walked another Nametame with a wide maniacal smile. The new Nametame was wearing a green uniform from some delivery company and had glowing yellow eyes. “So do you want to save people again, ‘me’?”

_‘WHAT THE HELL?’_ I almost screamed mentally. Eubuleus flashed me an image of him plugging his ears with his fingers, an unamused look on his face.

_‘What? It’s not like you haven’t heard the stories from Adachi. Once he’s in here, his Shadow is going to manifest.’_

_‘He was a mock culprit! He’s supposed to have a Persona!’_

_‘True. I guess Adachi in his drunken stupor couldn’t tell you the whole dam story. We’ll just have to improvise then…’_

As Eubuleus and I were bickering amongst ourselves, Nametame was slowly backing away from his Shadow self. The man was sweating buckets and almost whimpering with fear.

“I… I never meant to… This place was not supposed to… I…” As the mayor stuttered, the Shadow walked forward and crouched slightly in front of its mirror image.

“So what say you, ‘Messiah’? Shall we unite once more and save the filthy world from itself?”

“I…I… I’ve paid for my crimes, and I’m actively helping people now! I’m no longer the foolish kidnapper I was before!! So…” Breathing heavily, the mayor managed to stumble to his feet and faced the Shadow. Despite almost pissing his pants, the man was making a stand. I felt a surge of admiration for the mayor. “So I don’t need you anymore! I can help people on my own, so be gone!”

The Shadow’s eyes widened with surprised before his grin widened even more. With a swirl of Shadowy energy, Nametame’s doppelganger teleported behind the mayor, hugging Nametame from behind almost lovingly.

                “I am proud of you. You managed to actually do something with your poor life. Now just imagine how many people you can help with even more power. Yes… you actually crave it, don’t you?” The Shadow purred into the mayor’s ear. “More power. The exact same kind of power you felt when we were of one mind and body. Without it, you are a mayor who can only deal with mundane, everyday issues and has to listen to the whims of various people who have no idea how politics work. With it, you can solve any problem in an instant, and save millions!!!” All color drained from Nametame’s face as his Shadow talked.

                “I… No, I’m not… I can’t…”

                “Don’t delude yourself. That’s exactly how you feel. And you know what? I can help you fulfill all those wishes. All those deep, dark, desires. Why, you ask? Because, I am you.”

                “I…I…I…”

I narrowed my eyes on the Shadow grasping onto Nametame. Quickly drawing my stiletto, I closed the distance between me and the two Nametames with two quick bounds, thrusting the blade forwards. The Shadow dissipated in a swirl of energy and reformed a short distance away. Reaching out, I grabbed onto Nametame as he stumbled, supporting the sagging mayor.

“Look Mister, I think we need to draw some boundaries first.” Clearing my throat, I pointed the dagger at the Shadow. “Nametame here is our target. Frankly in the long run I don’t give two farts about what happens to him, but right now we can’t let you kill him, or for that matter, do anything to him. You understand?” The Shadow snarled at me.

“Don’t interfere, this is none of your business!!!” The Shadow roared at me, its voice inhuman, and waved a hand at me. I pushed Nametame aside and raised my arms, shielding my face from the blast. The gust did little to no damage, yet pushed me back a few meters. A few Shadows flew out from the whirlwind that surrounded the plaza and rushed over to block my path towards Nametame. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a few more do the same for Sho.

Shadow Nametame once more teleported in front of Nametame’s fallen body, crouching down next to his doppelganger. Snarling, I lifted my Lupara and unloaded both shots into the Shadows in front of me, briefly opening a hole in the wall of Shadows in front of me, but the Shadows fused back together before I could make any significant advance towards Nametame and his Shadow.

_Dammit! I guess more firepower is needed…_ As I fumbled for my evoker, a glowing red tarot card appeared out of nowhere and descended in front of me. I stared at it in wonder for a second, before following my instincts and slashing my dagger across it, shattering the card.

“Eubuleus, **Atom Smasher**!” Eubuleus tore his way out of my mind, swinging his blade around, clearing the Shadows away from me. Sho did the same thing, summoning a dark shadowy Persona ( _‘Tsukuyomi’_ Eubuleus reminded me) that cleared the air around him with a few quick slashes of his blade. Sharing a look between us, Sho and I both pointed our blades at Nametame’s Shadow.

Heeding my unspoken command, Eubuleus braced his cross in front of him and rushed at the two Nametames, purple energy crackling down his blade. Tsukuyomi did the same, rushing towards the Shadow while his blade turned into a ghastly scythe. As the two Personas closed in on the Shadow, Nametame’s voice rang out.

“NO! NO! I DIDN’T MEAN TO… YOU’RE…YOU’RE NOT ME!!!!” As Nametame’s voice broke, his Shadow’s mad laugh replaced it. The Shadow grabbed Nametame and pulled him into a fierce embrace as the whirlwind of Shadows homed in onto the embracing doppelgangers in the middle of the plaza. The howling wave of Shadows forced Eubuleus and Tsukuyomi to abandon their attacks and return to battle-ready poses in front of us.

_‘Strange… this power seems similar to… but the last time I sensed it, it seemed a lot more threatening than it does now. I wonder why…?’_ Eubuleus was almost muttering to himself at this point. I quickly reloaded the Lupara and entered a battle ready stance as well.

_‘When was the last time you sensed it? Cos’ we definitely haven’t seen this side of Nametame before.’_

_‘When… during the raid of Sumaru City. Ameno-Sagiri.’_ I grit my teeth at the mention of that day, phantom heartbeats resonating through my palm once more.

The vortex homed in onto the mayor and his Shadow. Shadow Nametame dissipated while the real Nametame was lifted up by the whirlwind. The mayor opened his eyes, pupils glowing yellow, and spoke in a strangely distant voice:

“I will save this world, from the ugly truth of reality…” As his voice faded, various Shadows flew out of the vortex and rushed at Nametame, each one fusing forcefully in his abdomen, causing a pained cry with every fusion. As more Shadows joined in, Nametame’s body was obscured by the swirling of the Shadows around him, with a long, drawn out scream coming from the middle. Just as a pack of piranhas swarm towards a helpless submerged sheep, the Shadows swarmed towards Nametame.

A hideous form came out of the Shadows. Vaguely humanoid, it had black and red stripped skin and what looked chameleon eyes. A single white gown draped over its thin body, and upon his head was several interlocking gears adorned with peace symbols.

“I am Kunino-Sagiri, wielder of the fog. I am the Savior, and I shall bring about a perfect paradise where Shadow and Man are as one…” The figure proclaimed with a low guttural voice.

“Well, Kunino-Sagiri, since you proclaim to save us all,” Sho replied with a taunting voice, “victory against you would be all the more savior-y! Hahahaha!” With a wild laugh, Sho closed the distance between him and Kunino-Sagiri with one quick leap, slashing at the giant Shadow’s chest. I smirked and shattered the card in front of me, summoning Eubuleus once more.

“ **Power Charge.** ” A series of popping went down my body as all my joints popped and a surge of energy flowed through my body.

Kunino-Sagiri recovered quickly from Sho’s attack and flew upwards. Raising his hand, he lifted two fingers in the popular “peace” sign. The gears above his head started rotating faster, and a crackle of energy went down his body.

I relaxed and allowed Eubuleus to take the wheel, leaping 5 meters up into the air as wind blades scythed the floor under me. Looking down mid-leap, I raised an eyebrow.

_‘Wow. We’ve never jumped this high up before…’_

_‘That’s because before you started working for Grandmaster, you have went for two weeks without a single decent night’s sleep. And that to the fact that of my… recent breakthroughs in terms of power, it’s no surprise that we can effortlessly leap so high.’_

As if confirming Eubuleus’ statement, I landed gracefully on the ground before closing the distance between me and the giant Shadow in a single powerful leap. Thrusting my shotgun forward, I pulled both triggers at the exact instance when the barrel rammed into Kunino Sagiri’s face. The Power Charged blow sent the Giant Shadow flying backwards, crashing into one of the pillars. I felt a smile creeping up my face.

_‘Wow. This power… It’s unbelievable! With this much power… this Shadow is toast!!’_

“Don’t you dare try and outshine me!” I looked up at Sho’s voice and saw the punster soaring above me, his body crackling with the energy from a Power Charge. Swinging his swords around, the form of Tsukuyomi appeared behind him.

“ **Arrow Rain**!” Countless bolts of energy appeared around Sho’s Persona and rained down upon the area where Kunino Sagiri fell, obliterating the area with multiple explosions.

“That’ll make Michael Bay proud!” The punster proclaimed as he landed next to me. I chuckled, and then returned my focus onto the area where the Shadow God fell.

“Be as it may, I doubt we’ve killed him with that little demonstration. There’s gotta be more to come.” Sho grinned in response before crouching into a fighting stance.

“I’m counting on that. Been too long since anything gave me a good fight.” Just as he spoke, the grotesque form of Kunino-Sagiri rose from the debris. As the Shadow lifted its hand, another crackle of energy ran down its body.

                **Quad Coverage.**

                My mouth suddenly went dry as all my spit evaporated. Looking around, I saw misty vapors coming out of Sho’s mouth as well. The air seemed hotter and denser. I glanced over and caught Sho’s eyes.

                “What did he…?”

                “I dunno. But we can’t just stand here, right?” Nodding at each other, the two of us summoned our Personas simultaneously.

                “Eubuleus, **Bufudyne**!”

                “Tsukuyomi, **Garudyne**!”

                Giant ice shards from Eubuleus were swept into Tsukuyomi’s whirlwind and sent hurtling over to Kunino-Sagiri. As the combined attack roared towards the Shadow God, my brows furrowed. Looking over to Sho, I see that he looked just as troubled.

                _Something’s not right…_

Sure enough, as the attack flew across the air, the ice shards were melting rapidly and the wind was slowing down considerably. By the time the attack reached Kunino-Sagiri, it was only as powerful as an average Bufu or Garu spell, and a far cry from the roaring beast that it started out as.

                “What in the world…?” Sho muttered next to me. I remained silent, but I was just as bewildered as he is.

                While the two of us were just standing there like slack-jawed idiots, Kunino-Sagiri raised his hands again, another ripple of magical energy running from the gears on his head to the tip of his fingers.

                **Maragidyne.**

                A wave of fire erupted from the Shadow’s fingertips, carpeting the floor and rushing towards where Sho and I stood. Regaining our composure, we leapt in two different directions, both of us easily reaching five meters of vertical height. As the sea of fire engulfed the floor underneath me, I twisted my body, getting ready to summon Eubuleus.

                _‘Caius! Keep your eyes on the fire!’_ My eyes widened at Eubuleus’ warning and I gazed down. The brightness of the fire below seemed to pulse for a second before erupting upwards with huge explosive force.

“ **Bufudyne**!” I hastily erected an ice wall underneath me, but the wall was extremely lackluster compared to usual and didn’t hold out for long. The wall cracked and shattered, and I felt myself being flung upwards like a rag doll, tumbling uncontrollably in the air for a few seconds below falling and landing with a heavy grunt.

                Sitting up, I tore away my burning hoodie, revealing the chainmail vest and Barbaric Bracers I wore underneath. At a distance from me, Sho was also crawling back up, dusting himself off. As I hefted my gun again, I looked over at Kunino-Sagiri, who was just floating around in the distance.

                _‘You can’t take another hit like that again. Especially not a fire attack. You’ll die.’_

                _‘Thank you Captain Obvious. I guess we’ll just have to break out our specialty again.’_

_‘I guess so. It’s so exhausting though… Well, better than dying.’_

The red tarot card descended once more in front of me, and I slashed at it viciously. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sho summon his Persona as well.

                “ **Jester’s Privilege!** ”

                “ **Heat Riser**!”

                Sho and I were both engulfed with an energizing aura, while Kunino-Sagiri’s shoulders sagged once the debilitation effect caught up with him. Undeterred by his debilitation, the giant Shadow raised two fingers once more.

                **Maragidyne.**

As the sea of flames washed forwards once more, Sho and I both tensed and leapt out of the way. I summersaulted towards one of the pillars and ran vertically up the side, managing to make it up to ten meters height before losing my footing. Quickly drawing my dagger, I rammed it into the pillar, cracking the stone and turning the dagger into a handhold for me to cling on to.

                Below me the sea of flames pulsed once before erupting upwards again. I shielded my eyes with my free hand as the tongues of fire slightly licked against me. Yet this time the flames were lower, less intense, and not enough to cause any actual damage.

                ‘ _Dammit, he’s debilitated and I’m fully invigorated, yet I’m still barely staying out of his area of harm. How powerful is this ‘Quad Coverage’ of his?’_

_‘He is a Shadow God after all.’_ Eubuleus pointed out. _‘Maybe not on the same level as Marie or the Grandmaster, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with, even with our enhanced abilities.’_

                As I clung to the pillar which I hung upon, I broke open the barrel of my shotgun. Shifting the gun under my armpit, I extracted two marked shells from my gun belt and dropped them into the barrel. Snapping it shut, I looked over at Kunino-Sagiri, who was lifting two fingers once more, energy crackly up and down its body.

                **Maragidy-**

                “Oh no you don’t! **Primal Force**!” With a roar from Sho, Tsukuyomi rushed at Kunino-Sagiri and sent the Shadow flying with a swing of its scythe. Smiling, I lifted the Lupara and aimed towards where Kunino-Sagiri was trying to get up, pulling both triggers at the same time.

                **Agilao Gem.**

                Two fiery streaks rushed out of the barrels of my shotgun and rushed towards the giant Shadow. The fire spells struck Kunino-Sagiri just as he was getting up, hitting him square in the chest and causing a giant explosion. I watched in awe at the miniature inferno that came from two simple Agilao gems.

                _‘They’re so much more powerful than they were before…’_

_‘Well, I guess Kunino’s spell could be used against him as well.’_

**Maragidyne.**

                Before the smoke and debris can settle from where Kunino- Sagiri had landed, another, more powerful inferno washed out from the wreckage. I clucked my tongue in annoyance before leaping off the pillar that I was perched on right before the flames washed over it. Twisting in mid-air, I summoned and shattered the tarot card with a quick slash of my blade.

                “Eubuleus, **Mabufudyne**!” A thick layer of ice engulfed me within an icy cocoon right before the sea of flame erupted. The ice steamed and cracked, but somehow, miraculously, held up against the infernal blast. Tensing my body, I broke free of the rapidly melting ice shell and landed onto the smothering ground of the plaza. By then, Kunino-Sagiri had already stood up and was raising into the air once more.

                **Quad Coverage.**

                The atmosphere changed once more. I frowned, lifting a hand and testing the air.

                _Why do I feel… lighter?_ My thoughts were cut short as I felt Jester’s Privilege wear off. Swiftly summoning Eubuleus once more, my eyes widened as I saw Kunino Sagiri prepare another spell.

                “ **Jester’s Privilege**!”

  1. Just as I felt the invigorating spell kick in, my vision was filled with countless wind scythes converging upon me.



_Dammit… I was one step too slow…_ As I lifted my hands to shield myself from the deadly gusts of wind, something jumped in front of me, obscuring the wind blades from my view.

“You want to fight ME with wind?! Hahahaha… it won’t be a breeze, I’ll tell you that!” As Sho’s mad cackle filled the air, he absorbed all the wind blades effortlessly, shielding me from harm. Once the wind died down, Sho pointed his blade at Kunino Sagiri and sneered.

“Tsukuyomi, let’s tell our friend here what actual wind is like! **Garudyne**!” With a wave of his blade, Sho’s Persona sent a wind drill flying toward the Shadow God, driving him back and crashing into yet another pillar surrounding the heavenly plaza. Quickly reloading my Lupara, I pointed the gun towards the giant Shadow. As I aimed, I found my eyes going in and out of focus.

_‘What the…?’_

_‘You’re almost out of SP. Did you really think that Jester’s Privilege was something to be thrown around along with half a dozen other –dyne level spells? You’re lucky that you’re still upright.’_

_‘Hehe. I guess so.’_ Taking aim, I pulled down both triggers.

**Garula Gem.** Two smaller wind blades shot out of my gun, fusing into a larger one and arcing across the plaza, smashing into the place where the Shadow God lay. The resulting explosion made the entire plaza shake. I looked over at Sho and grinned.

“You know, THAT would have made Michael Bay proud.” The punster chuckled and relaxed his posture.

A loud crack from the direction of Kunino Sagiri got our attention once more. Spinning around, I saw the giant Shadow crouching among the debris, slowly yet unmistakably getting up again.

_‘What? Won’t that guy just die?!’_ Eubuleus screeched in my mind. Sho’s facial expression seems to convey a similar sentiment. As the Shadow slowly got up, it reached one hand over and beckoned at Sho and me.

I tensed as a foreign presence invaded my mind. Unlike anything I had ever experienced under Project Prometheus, this invading force was not destructive, and crept in with a lot more subtlety. In fact, I could barely feel it having any effect.

_What game is he playing-?_

Before I could finish my thought, an invisible force yanked at my arm, drawing my dagger out and pointing it to Sho. The punster was facing me with a mixed expression of anger and panic, his body in a fighting stance.

“Now…” The deep rumbling voice of Kunino Sagiri rang up once more. “Let us see which one of you is the better warrior…”

Trying to ignore my free hand reloading my Lupara of its own violation, I looked towards Sho.

“So is he pulling your strings as well?”

“Yeah.” Sho snarled. “That demented freak of a Shadow is going to regret being born after I’m done with him…” Suddenly his eyes widened as his body jerked forwards. “WATCH OUT!!!”

Out of sheer instinct, I swung my Lupara and stiletto upwards, gritting my teeth as I felt the full force of Sho’s cross-slash run down my arms. My arms snapped downwards and I pushed Sho’s swords downwards so that his face was looking into the barrel of my Lupara. Sho shifted his shoulders and his swords fell back to form a cross in front of his face.

The two of us flew apart at the roar of the Lupara. I fell back and rolled back into upright position while Sho did the same. The punster had a bleeding cut on his face from one of the buck-shot pellets. Both of us were breathing heavily.

_‘Shit… this is not good. We’re too evenly matched, we’ll end up killing each other.’_ I snarled as I felt the invisible force clench at my insides once more. Across from me, Sho’s posture tensed up as well.

“Again… Now to the death.” Commanded Kunino Sagiri. My hand cracked open the Lupara and reloaded it quickly as I pointed the stiletto at Sho. My body leaned into a slight crouch, ready to spring forwards once more. Sho also leaned forward to mirror my stance.

_‘Jesus fuck, I could never had reloaded the gun that smoothly when I was in control. Stupid overgrown Shadow. I. WILL. NOT. OBEY. YOU.’_ I bared my teeth and spat in the direction of the Shadow God.

_‘Well said… You are, after all, my drinking buddy.’_ My eyes opened wide as a familiar voice commented snidely in my mind. _‘Well, since you seem quite fucked right now, why don’t I piss a little power into you? Hahahaha…’_

_‘Adachi?’_ No response came, but I felt another surge of energy come out from the back of my head where Eubuleus resides. The power emitted a slight chill as it moved out, mingling with Kunino-Sagiri’s controlling force and battling for control.

“Raaarrrgggg!” A garbled scream came from my mouth as my body spasmed, confused by the conflicting commands that it was receiving. Collapsing down to my hands and knees, I panted heavily as the second surge of energy, Adachi’s energy, slowly drove out the influence of Kunino Sagiri.

A layer of mist started to emit from my body, forming a thick veil of fog around my body. As the effects of “Control” were driven out, my body relaxed and my joints popped once more as energy surged through my body. Energy that I now control. Looking down, I saw a pair of neon colored eyes reflected in the blade of my dagger. The eerily colorful pupils rotated within themselves like a camera focusing its lens as I examined those eyes. My eyes.

A strangled cry drew my attention away from my own reflection. Looking up, I saw Sho drop to one knee, the scar on his face glowing bright crimson, a flaming aura surrounding his body. The punster’s body twitched around unnaturally for a while before relaxing, and when he opened his eyes, his pupils burned with an infernal light. Kunino-Sagiri looked disturbed.

“… Ameno-Sagiri…? …Hi-no-Kagutsuchi…?” There was a touch of fear in the Shadow God’s voice as the two of us regained our footing.

Picking up my Lupara, I felt a snaky tendril of fog infuse itself into the shotgun. At my side, Sho picked up his katanas and the blades turned bright orange with heat. Sharing a look between us, both of us charged towards the massive Shadow in front of us. Kunino-Sagiri retreated quickly, an extremely powerful crackle of energy running down his body.

**Unerring Justice.**

Golden clouds converged in the air, sending down countless rays of lights. As the light shone upon the two of us, a giant blast of almighty energy assailed us with a loud explosion, nearly obliterating the whole plaza. Undeterred, Sho swung his arms wide to clear the smoke and continued his advance, closing in on Kunino-Sagiri with a single leap.

“ **Flare Slash**!” Lifting his flaming swords up high, Sho slashed the Shadow God vertically from head to toe, melting through the gears on top of his head and leaving a giant smothering slash mark along his body. As Kunino Sagiri fell back and crashed onto the ground, I leapt up and soared right above him, aiming my Lupara straight down towards the giant Shadow.

“ **Nebula Oculus**.” A giant beam of light shot out of my shotgun and arced straight down, striking the Shadow God square in the chest and driving him deep into the ground. The recoil sent me flying up, where I flipped around and landed back on my feet.

A bubbling sound came from where Kunino Sagiri lay, and the giant Shadow’s body dissolved into thick shadowy ichor, melting away into the ground, revealing Nametame and his Shadow both lying prone and unconscious in the middle of a crater.

_‘It’s over…’_ As I relaxed, my body trembled and I dropped down to one knee. The veil of fog around me dissipated, and as I drew my dagger, I saw in the reflection that my eyes were back to their usual shade of blue. Slightly behind me, Sho stumbled as his fiery aura flickered and died out, and as he blinked, his scar and eyes reverted to their normal color.

_‘It’s over… and Adachi helped me get through it… Adachi? You there bro?’_

_‘Nope.’_ Eubuleus’ voice answered. _‘It’s just me in here now.’_

_‘So what just happened?’_

_‘I have no idea. But right now, there’s no Adachi in here.’_

_‘Oh…’_ My shoulders sagged in disappointment, and I quickly wiped my eyes dry.

“Well done… I have chosen well to hire the two of you.” A deep voice intoned. Turning around, I saw the Grandmaster slowly walking towards us. Gritting my teeth, I struggled to my feet.

“You… you missed the party… and you also forgot to brief us on Nametame’s Shadow.” Grandmaster bowed slightly at my accusations.

“And for that, I apologize. You will be paid handsomely for that inconvenience.” At a wave of his hand, two heavy envelopes appeared, one in front of Sho and on in front of me. Taking mine, I quickly checked the content. The amount within was ten times my total paycheck from the Shadow Operatives. Snorting slightly, I pocketed the envelope. Sho also took his, but didn’t check within.

“You know what I actually want.” He said to the Grandmaster, who inclined his head in acknowledgment.

“And you will receive it when your work warrants such a reward.” Sho grunted and started walking towards the exit. I started to follow him, but paused and looked at the Grandmaster, who was advancing upon the unconscious forms of Nametame and his Shadow. My employer noticed my pause.

“Yes, Caius?” I swallowed.

“May I ask what do you intend to do with Nametame?”

“I do not believe that is part of your job description. You got your pay, didn’t you, Mercenary?”

Feeling the weight of the envelope in my pocket, I nodded and turned towards the exit, leaving the Grandmaster alone with the two Nametames.

* * *

_One_ _Week Later._

After setting a timer on the coffee cooker, I unrolled the morning newspaper and scanned the headlines. My brows furrowed at what I saw.

At the top of the paper:

_Mayor of Inaba Found Dead! Lifeless Body Hung upon Power Line. Killer Strikes A_

And a bit below that, in separate article:

_Still No Sign of Popular Inaba Weather Forecast Anchor Mariko Kusumi. Missing Since New Year’s Eve._

Sighing heavily, I tossed the paper onto the table before tending to my coffee again.

_I knew that Nametame’s body was going to show up some time or another. But what game are you playing, Ma-rie-chan?_


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                A gray haired young man stood solemnly in front of the tiny gravestone, holding a small girl’s hand as her father placed some flowers in front of the tomb. As he stood straight, the setting sun cast a long shadow on the face of Ryotaro Dojima, making the grizzled detective seem ten years older than he was. Standing next to Yu, the detective pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. He paused for a second, as if waiting for something to happen, before sighing and pulling a cheap lighter out of his pocket. After lighting up his cigarette, the older Dojima looked down at the lighter sadly before turning to Yu.

                “You know, this was his lighter… He used to carry it with him all the time. Never occurred to me that he didn’t smoke. He was just carrying it around to light me whenever I needed to smoke. Only noticed after he was arrested, when I pulled out a cigarette and can’t find a lighter on me.” The hardboiled detective leaned forward and breathed out a stream of smoke towards the tombstone. Within the smoky wreath the name “Tohru Adachi” was carved on stone.

                “When he first showed up to Inaba PD, there was a sense of complete transparency about him. He was a guy fresh out the Police Academy, top of his class, and got sent down here because of an incident that wasn’t his fault. I remember looking at him and thinking: ‘That won’t do. We’ve got a dreamer here, someone who believes too much in fairy tale morals. I’ll need to toughen him up first.’

                “And that’s what I did. I worked him hard and taught him how to be a proper detective. Loaded him with old case files and tutored him on how to deal with local punks and other such disputes. Inaba isn’t a place where you could find a lot of good cases to toughen someone up, but I’ve worked in big cities before, and I’ve dealt with enough shit that I thought I could make him into an actual detective. And he improved. He became a lot more pragmatic and less of a stickler for book rules. And then…” The cigarette dropped from the detective’s mouth as tears started flowing down his cheeks.

                “And then it turns out that he was the murderer in the Inaba Murder Cases. And then I started wondering… was the real murderer me? Would the Adachi that walked fresh into the Inaba PD so long ago have committed all those crimes? Was there anything, _anything_ , I could have done as his partner and superior that might have stopped him from killing?” Dojima sank down to one knee, sobbing, his hands buried in his face. “Have… have I taken a pure dreamer, an idealist who believed in justice and truth… and turned him into a nihilist, cold-blooded killer? Am… am I the true culprit behind the Inaba Murder Cases?”

Nanako walked to her father and placed a comforting hand on her father’s shoulder. Yu closed his eyes and looked away from the sobbing detective. Seeing Dojima break down and cry was like watching a giant mountain crumble to dust, losing all of its prior glory.

                _No Uncle… It was never your fault, nor was it completely Adachi’s. He was just swept into a mock experiment by the Gods. All of us in Inaba were… but I can’t tell you that… not without… not without pulling you even deeper into this fight in which none of us belong…_

Taking a few steps closer to the grave of his friend and nemesis, Yu knelt down in front of the grave and clasped his hands together in prayer.

                _What should I do, Adachi-san? Your killer walks free, yet… yours is a bond that I will never understand. The bond of the Hunger Arcana…. And Caius Gevauden of the Death Arcana…Once, you almost tried to explain to me your view on bonds… yet we got interrupted and never resumed, didn’t we?_

 Standing up, the gray haired Fool felt no closer to enlightenment than before. Taking a deep breath, Yu placed a hand on Dojima’s shoulder.

                “Come, it’s getting late. We should go.” The grizzled detective wiped his eyes and stood up.

                “Yeah. We should… we should head back… You’ve got your hands full too, don’t you Yu? What with Nametame showing up dead and that weather-lady disappearing from open sight… Let’s go Nanako.”

                “Uh-huh.” The little girl nodded sadly, and taking one more look at the gravestone in front of her, she took her father’s hand and reached out with her free hand towards Yu. Smiling, the gray-haired Fool took her hand and the small family started walking towards the exit.

                _‘Yu.’_ Yu tensed slightly at the urgency of the familiar voice.

                _‘What’s up, Izanagi-no-Okami?’_

_‘I… I thought I felt something watching us.’_

_‘Really?’_ Stopping, Yu turned around and surveyed his surroundings. _‘I don’t see anyone here.’_

_‘Hmm… it was just a really faint hunch… Never mind then. I’m no sensor.’_

_‘Okay…’_

                “What’s wrong Big Bro?” Nanako looked up to her Big Bro, confused at why he stopped. The Fool smiled reassuringly at the little girl before answering.

                “Nothing. Let’s go Nanako.” Nodding with a slightly strained smile, Nanako walked forward, slightly tugging at her father and her Big Bro as the little family left the graveyard.

* * *

 

                _‘That was close. I think he almost found us.’_ I commented to Eubuleus. Peaking my head out from behind a statue, I saw Narukami and his family leave the graveyard.

                _‘Almost. He’s been spoiled by having a sensor as a permanent member of his team.’_

_‘True. You reckon he’s here for Adachi, just like us?’_

_‘Why else would he be here? He hasn’t lost anyone yet, and Nametame hasn’t been buried yet. Now get the booze out.’_

Chuckling at Eubuleus’ haste, I reached into the bush and dragged out a crate full of bottles. Heaving the crate, I carried it over to Adachi’s tombstone. Dropping the crate right next to the flowers that were left by the Dojimas, I pulled out two glasses and placed them in front of the tombstone.

                “Hey buddy, long time no see. I know, I’m a dickwad, not having visited you for so long. Really, you’d think that after stabbing you through the heart I’d at least come visit you once a week or so, just like when you were alive, but…” My voice trailed off as my voice caught on something. “I… have more gear somewhere that I have to bring. I’ll be right back.” Swiftly spinning around, I made a beeline back to the bush in which I hid the rest of the gear. Once I was in the sanctuary of the leaves, I collapsed to my knees, clenching my right hand as phantom heartbeats vibrated up my palm. Those same dying heartbeats that haunted me for so long…

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

                Slapping my hand against my leg to drive away the haunting vibrations, I grabbed the camping light and started to head back to Adachi’s tomb.

                _‘He doesn’t blame you, nor does he despise you for needing his help against Kunino-Sagiri.’_ Eubuleus’ voice rang out in my mind. I did a double take and almost fell over as I stumbled.

                _‘What?!’_

_‘Adachi. You’re still beating yourself up over killing him, and his brief appearance, whatever triggered that, during the Kunino-Sagiri fight seems to have made it worse. I’m just telling you that whatever you might think, Adachi wouldn’t blame you for any of that.’_

_‘And how would you know?’_

_‘I basically have Magastu’s memory, which, surprisingly, only spans two years. But as such, I can make a pretty educated guess on what Adachi would think.’_

_‘Guess… you said ‘guess’. There’s no way for you to be sure?’_ Eubuleus fell silent at my accusations. I chuckled to myself. _‘And plus, even if the guy were to crawl out of his grave and tell me face-to-face, I still wouldn’t feel any better. You think I don’t know the reasoning for that kill? Hell, that is the exact situation in which I would completely advocate killing your comrades. But still…’_ My hand clutched at the fabric of my shirt over my heart.

                _‘Still, humans are, after all, humans and unable to shake the shackles of emotions, right?’_ Eubuleus finished my sentence. I nodded, unable to speak. _‘Unfortunately, what sets us above Shadows are exactly what makes us weaker than Shadows.’_ The both of us chuckled at the irony of the situation.

                _‘You know, that’s right. If what Adachi told me was correct, people like Narukami literally gain the power to rival a God through his numerous bonds with people. But at the same time, if any of those bonds, especially the ones that are closest to his heart, dies, he would basically collapse from the shock. What’s makes him extremely strong also makes him extremely fragile.’_

_‘True, true… I wonder if that little girl between him and his uncle is his ultimate weakness…’_

_‘Hm… might be safe to assume so. But I sincerely hope that we never need to face him when he has a personal vendetta against us. He almost murdered Nametame, didn’t he?’_  As Eubuleus murmured in agreement, I returned to Adachi’s grave, setting down the camp lamp. Opening one of the bottles, I paused and took a deep breath as the rich aroma of whiskey filled the air. Then, I filled the two glasses in front of the tomb.

                “One for you… and one for me. Bottoms up bro.” Taking my own glass, I downed the shot of whiskey in one go, knocking over the other glass with my free hand. The spilled whiskey splashed at the bottom of the tombstone, soaking the earth which contains the body of my companion. After finishing my drink, I reset both glasses and refilled them.

                “You see, this is much better stuff than what we drank last time. I hope it makes up for me not coming to visit you as often, bro. Heh, in fact, I couldn’t come visit you because I was busy earning the paycheck for this…” I drained my glass once more and soaked the grave with whiskey again.

                “Huh, it feels weird, with you not responding whatsoever…” I muttered as I refilled the glasses again. “You never seemed to be able to shut up whenever we were together. You’d just keep on rambling about bitches, whores, and cabbages. I mean, what the fuck, cabbages?! Who are you, the cabbage dude from _Avatar_?! Now that the tables have turned, and you’re stuck being the listener for once. How does it feel, huh?” I took another shot and refilled both our glasses.

                “Ah, who am I kidding, acting all tough like this? I miss you man. More than I would ever admit if anyone was actually listening…” I hunched over forward, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I’ve regretted killing you ever since the dagger first touched your heart. Hell, never wanted to kill you in the first place, but I thought I was prepared. I thought that… after losing all my friends and family to the void once… I would be prepared to send a friend into the void if that would save him a fate worse than death…” I stared at my right hand, tears falling into the center of the palm as I trembled.

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

                “I… I was wrong… I overestimated myself. Mercy killing your best friend… I… I’ve been haunted by the memory ever since. I was not prepared, Adachi, I was not prepared for this anguish! I- I thought I was, but… Dammit bro, you owe me. You owe me big time. To spare you from a painful death, I have taken in a lifetime’s worth of nightmares. You better be preparing a REALLY good welcome party for me in Hell….. F-fuck this shit… I miss you, bro…”

                _‘Caius… night’s falling.’_ Eubuleus pointed out to me. I nodded, turning on the camp lamp as the sun set over the horizon.

* * *

 

                The Gigas rushed at me, roaring at the top of its lungs. I took a step forward, leaning my body slightly sideways to avoid the punch. Thrusting my arm forward, I sliced through the Shadow’s throat, releasing a burst of shadowy ichor. As the Shadow fell back screaming, two Halberies rushed at me, only to be pushed back by a blast from my Lupara.

                Twirling my evoker around my fingers a few times, I tucked the barrel under my chin and pulled the trigger, a maniacal smile creeping up my face.

                “Eubuleus, **Atom Smasher**!”

                Eubuleus tore his way out of my head, his blade flashing a purple arc towards the group of Shadows in front of me, violet slashes crisscrossing amongst the Shadow ranks. A chorus of screams echoed across the empty graveyard, accompanied by my hollow laugh.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” As I laughed, a stray Halberie made a desperate charge at me, saliva trickling off the side of its jaws as it opened its maw wide, intent on swallowing me whole. Grinning widely, I leaned back, letting myself fall onto my back as the Shadow flew above me. As I fell, I swung one leg upwards in a bicycle kick, launching the Shadow forward with a renewed burst of speed. The Halberie tried to stop itself, but crashed heavily onto Adachi’s tombstone and died screaming. Black ichor splattered across Adachi’s name, staining the granite headstone ebony.

                “Hehehehe, even from beyond the void, you still somehow manage to come to the party and have some fun, eh?” Chuckling to myself, I staggered over to the grave and poured out two shots of whiskey. Draining one of them in a swift motion, I poured the other over Adachi’s grave. “There. You happy now? Now we’re both piss ass drunk…” Turning around, I sat down, leaning on Adachi’s headstone. Empty bottles littered the ground around me.

                “How… how many times have I casted Amrita by now…?”

                _‘Three times, Caius. I’m glad that you have at least some sort of sense while you’re drunk…’_ Eubuleus commented reproachfully in my mind. I chuckled to myself.

                “Gimme a break… I need something to take my mind off all the bullshit lately…. ‘A puppet pulling its own strings’… She might have the power of a Goddess, but she’s just like any other friggin emo teen girl… So much fuckin’ angst…” Looking up from where I was sitting, I saw the mass of Shadows slowly retreating, fear apparent within their glowing yellow eyes. I snorted derisively at the retreating Shadows, reaching behind me to lightly knock on the headstone.

                “Shit bro, drunk Shadow killing is no fun whatsoever now… The little boost in power you gave me made me way too OP now for any of those dipshits… Now there’s basically nobody tough enough for me to have a good fight with… at least without breaking the law…” Sighing to myself, I leant back and placed my hand on my legs. Looking down, I did a small double take as I noticed a crimson smear on my jeans. Raising my hand, I noticed a wide gash on the back of my hand bleeding profusely. “Welp. I guess it’s time for another waking up… Eubuleus, **Amrita** , if you will…”

                _‘You are a fucking idiot for drinking that many bottles of whiskey in the first place. You do not deserve another Amrita.’_

“Don’t be a fuckin’ spoilsport… and plus, we’re in the Dark Hour, and it’s no place for a drunk… especially a Persona-wielding drunk…”

                _‘You are just going to get drunk once again after I sober you up. I have a feeling that I only received this ability because you plan on becoming a straight-up alcoholic.’_

“Shaddup. If you got that ability just to sober me up, you should do your duty… nah, it’s not really duty since you’re a part of me… Now do the thing!”

                _‘Yes ‘Varrick’… Jesus Christ…’_ Eubuleus materialized above me, swinging his cross around and casting a glowing halo around me. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I shook my head as they refocused and I found the edge return to my thoughts. Before I could fully recover from the disorientation from the sudden recovery, Eubuleus swung his blade around and rapped me sharply on the head with the handle of the blade.

                “OW! SONOFABITCH!!!” I jerked my head downwards, rubbing the point where the blow connected. “What the fuck was that for?!!?”

                _‘For being an absolute jerkass. I’m almost out of SP by the way. You would want to conserve your spell using.’_

_‘Ow… by the way, how much do you still have?’_

_‘Enough for 5 more Amritas or Bufudynes. Just so you know.’_

_‘Okay then…’_ Concentrating on the bleeding gash on my hand, I concentrated and pulled the trigger to my evoker once more.

                “ **Bufu**.” A small shard of ice focused upon the gash and froze the cut together. The excessive ice soon shattered, leaving a piece of frozen blood behind, sealing the wound.

                “Wow, you do seem to have invented some interesting ways of using spells.” A feminine voice rang up from behind me. My eyes widening, I spun around with a sharp intake of breath, Eubuleus flying towards the source of the voice, blade flashing under the green moon.

                With a deafening clash, a monstrous figure, surrounded by a ring of coffins connected by chain, flew out from nowhere and blocked Eubuleus’ attack with its own blade, sparks flying from where the two blades meet. From behind the figure walked out a petite woman with platinum blonde hair and wearing a velvet blue dress. My eyes widened at the sight.

                “My, this is no way to greet a lady, now isn’t it?”

                “Elizabeth…” Her name was barely a breath escaping from my lips, but the strange woman smiled widely at the sound.

                “So you do remember me! I was worried that I would have to start introducing myself all over again!” I remained silent in the face of her cheerfulness, busy processing the situation in front of me.

                _‘So Elizabeth is a Persona-user… and a really powerful one too, judging by how easily she managed to take Eubuleus’ hit… what the fuck is she doing here?’_

_‘Caius, I might be crazy for saying this, but the vibe I’m getting from this lady and this thing in front of me is not the same as I get from a natural Persona and its wielder… Nor is it like anyone in Strega… And it’s giving me a worse feeling than Kunino Sagiri and Ameno Sagiri combined…’_   

                I did a double take and looked at the woman standing in front of me, the woman who I met once in Saitou’s bar. Seeing the way she was simply looking around curiously, it was hard to imagine that she might be more powerful than two Shadow Gods combined, yet Eubuleus’ hunches were always correct. Sighing, I waved a hand and Eubuleus disappeared into the night air.

                “No normal lady would be walking around casually in a Shadow’s den. Why didn’t you tell me that you were a Persona-user last time we met?”

                “Well, that’s because I am not a Persona-user.” She answered, smiling coyly. “Technically, I _do_ use Personas, but I’m not reliant on them as the average Persona-user is. I am… for a lack of better terms, an avatar of power.” I tensed slightly at her words.

                _‘Eubuleus, is she…?’_

_‘Look bro, I have no clue if she’s legit or not, but judging by the aura she’s giving off, she’s got more than enough ham to back up that title.’_

                Apparently noticing my silence, Elizabeth snapped her book shut, dematerializing the powerful Persona behind her. “Well, I understand that you might need some time to process all this. In the meantime, might I partake in some of that exquisite elixir that you humans refer to as… hwiskey?”

                _Hwiskey?_ The corners of my mouth twitched for a bit before, unable to contain myself, I collapsed to the ground and started laughing hysterically.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!”

                _‘Caius, you’re in front of an extremely powerful being of mysterious origins… it might be unwise to laugh at her…’_ Eubuleus muttered nervously.

                _‘I…I know… but really?! REALLY??!! HWISKEY? Who the fuck did she…. Hahaha… who the fuck did she ask?? Mr. Candie in Django Unchained?!?! I mean… hahaha…’_

Recovering from my laughing fit, I looked up to see Elizabeth standing with her arms crossed, pouting, and a light blush dusting her cheeks. Still chuckling, I wiped the tears from my eyes and filled two glasses with whiskey.

                “Here you go. And for your information, it’s call whiskey. You must have asked someone with a strong accent.”

                “Well, it is true that the man I asked was speaking very strangely. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the name he provided me with has proven to be faulty.” Elizabeth sat down elegantly, nursing her glass of whiskey. I plopped down and leant against Adachi’s tombstone. We sipped our drinks in silent for a while before I broke the silence.

                “Well, I don’t really buy the idea that you were just wandering through a graveyard and happened to find me piss ass drunk next to a tomb, so why are you here?”

                “Why am I here? Can’t a lady like me just be struck with the desire to meet an old friend?” Elizabeth was pouting again, staring at me with puppy-dog eyes. I chuckled out loud.

                “Lady, don’t try to guilt-trip me into anything by sheer cuteness, cos’ that won’t work. And also, we had one drink and one conversation around a month or two ago. I don’t really think that we qualify as ‘old friends’ yet.” Elizabeth’s face fell a little, but lightened up again with my next remark. “But, if you show up more often and we get to talk more when I am free, perhaps eventually we’ll be close friends.”

                “Really?” There was almost a child-like gleam in Elizabeth’s eyes.

                “Yeah, I don’t see why not… I mean, my schedule is far from regular, but since you seem to be some sort of cosmic entity I don’t think irregular schedules would be such a big hurtle for you to…” My voice trailed off as Elizabeth’s demeanor suddenly changed. Her expression turned ecstatic, and she started basically bouncing up and down on the spot with excitement, while quietly muttering to herself. I only caught bits and pieces of her near-silent mutterings:

                “So this …… social link….. Death Arcana….. marvelous…” I sighed and shrugged to myself.

                _She’s not human, so I really can’t expect to completely understand her. Ah well…_

“So onto the topic at hand, did you really just want to meet me, or is there some ulterior motive for your approach?” I asked again, and Elizabeth flinched out of her stupor.

                “Oh, I was just caught by a whim, that’s all. I took your advice from our earlier conversation and started to relax a bit from my self-appointed task, and found myself with too much free time to handle, even with all the new things that I can experience and learn. So once I saw you here, I decided to come and say hello.” I thought her words through while sipping my whiskey, and then shrugged again.

                “I still don’t totally buy it, but then again my general trust of non-human entities such as yourself might be a bit skewed.  Most of them end up trying to kill me one way or another, but you might actually be an exception… How’s that friend of yours, by the way?”

                “Unfortunately, he is still the same as before, unchanging. The only positive aspect about his predicament is that I don’t really have to worry about it getting worse anytime soon.” Elizabeth replied dully, but then lightened up considerably. “But I also have some good news. I believe that I am closer to helping him, since I have recently acquired a new hint to the nature of his predicament.”

                “Really? Congrats.” I lifted my glass towards her before draining the whiskey. “Good luck with that.”

                “Thank you!” Elizabeth beamed at me, “Speaking of which, I might require your help in this task… don’t worry, I know you don’t work for free, so I would pay you in full for your time.” I raised an eyebrow.

                _What is with cosmic entities wanting to hire me lately?!_

“Do I at least get to hear the full connotations of this contract?”

                “Nope!” She replied with a sing-song voice, “Because there is none now! I will ask you when the time comes… and also, I suppose I must leave now, lest another violent confrontation takes place…”  With those words, the thick leather bound book at her side suddenly floated up and opened itself, its pages turning rapidly. Countless glowing tarot cards flew out of the book, surrounding Elizabeth’s body in a swirling vortex.

                “I do thank you for the drink though…” Elizabeth’s voice came from behind the thick cloud of cards surrounding her. “It was very enjoyable...‘whiskey’, wasn’t it?” With a tinkling laugh, a glowing magical symbol appeared, and the tarot cards dispersed towards the symbol, disappearing in a flash of light that blinded me. By the time I regained my vision, she was gone.

                _So that’s how she disappeared so quickly last time I met her…_ I watched the place where the strange girl disappeared, quietly sipping my whiskey. After several minutes, the voice of a certain red-headed punster rang up behind me. _So that’s what she meant when she said she’s avoiding a violent confrontation._

                “Yo… Grandmaster just contacted me. New job briefing.  You coming?” Eyeing all the bottles strewn around on the ground around me, he smiled. “Or are you way too _hung over_ on your grieving to come?”

                “Everything’s a fucking joke to you, right Sho?” I growled before standing up. “Gimme a second and I’ll be ready.”

                _‘Eubuleus, maybe another Amrita, just for good measure?’_

_‘MOTHERFUCKIN’ SONOFABITCH!!!’_ I chuckled at Eubuleus’ outcry.

               


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                “Remind me again why are we at a school dormitory again?  During break, no less?” I asked the red-headed punster next to me.

                “Cos our boss is _old-school_ and doesn’t want to tell us anything, like those Bond villains.” The punster chuckled next to me. Looking around, his expression got more serious. “But seriously, can’t we do this during the Dark Hour? I mean, there isn’t anyone around here now, but I’d still _rest in peace_ if everyone else were in their coffins…” I rolled my eyes.

                _‘Does he even realize that he’s making puns at this point? Or is it sub-conscious?’_

_‘It’s all him. Tsukuyomi is a lot more serious than he is, although he is slightly amused by Sho’s antics…’_ Eubuleus commented in my mind.

                _‘That’s weird… usually a Persona is reflective of the wielder…’_

_‘Usually a Persona is not implanted through surgery.’_

_‘But Medea, Hypnos, and Moros all reflected their wielders personalities perfectly… and they’re the last thing you’ll call natural.’_

_‘They are not Personas. They fulfill the purpose of Personas, but they’re ultimately untamed Shadows, and have no inherent personality. Of course they’ll mold around their respective hosts… Sho, on the other hand, had a full Plume of Dusk implanted…’_

_‘A true implanted Persona than…. Okay. And since when did you learn so much about Personas and Shadows? I never knew any of that…’_

_‘I’ve got friends on the other side.’_ Came the prompt reply. I waited a bit for elaboration, but none came.

                _‘That’s it? No elaboration?’_

_‘Nope. One hint though: The afterlife is not as dull nor as horrible as many religions have you believe.’_ I slightly clenched my right hand.

                _‘For the sake of that guy, I hope you’re right…’_

“Yo, Caius, you awake there?” Sho’s voice shook me out of my stupor. “You were just staring dumbly out to space for a minute or two. We’ve got a job to do bro!”

                “Huh? Oh, sorry…” I blinked a few times rapidly, pulling myself back to reality. “Huh. Sorry about that. I was talking to Eubuleus.”

                “Your Persona, huh?” For a moment, Sho’s face betrayed a weird mix of emotions. Sadness? Envy? Curiosity? But it disappeared after a split second.

                “Yeah…” I answered edgily. The punster shrugged.

                “Ah well… Anyways, as I was asking, why on earth are we staging a break-in during normal times? We have access to the Dark Hour, so if we’re doing something _shady_ won’t it make sense to hide amongst the _Shadows_?” I sighed and brushed off the layer of dust on a sign near the door. Reading the sign, I turned back to Sho.

                “He did say the thing we had to retrieve was in a dorm named ‘Minatodai’, right?”

                “Answer my fuckin’ question!”

                “Answer me mine and I’ll answer you yours, brother.” I smiled at Sho’s infuriation as I moved towards the door. Slightly pushing at it, I found it to be locked. “Heh, figures.”

                “Yes, asshole, the Grandmaster sent us to fetch the box o’ trinkets from the Minatodai dorm in Tatsumi Port Island, alright? Now tell me why we’re not doing this during the Dark Hour!!!”

                “You seriously don’t realize it?” I snapped back at Sho, “Weren’t you raised by Ikutsuki? The mere name ‘Tatsumi Port Island’ should be raising alarm bells in your mind!”

                “Nope, it’s not. I was raised in a lab, okay? How the fuck was I supposed to know where the lab was?!” My eyes widened at Sho’s statement.

                “Wow… he kept you in the dark on even the geographical location of the lab? He must’ve upped security and procedure by a lot since we escaped…” Rubbing my temple, I turned back towards the locked doors and placed a finger on the lock.

                ” **Bufu.** ” At my murmured command, bits of frost started emitting from my finger to cover the lock, quickly growing thicker. As I worked on the lock, I started explaining to Sho:

                “You see, Tatsumi Port Island is where the main branch of the Kirijo Ergo Labs were located. It is where the members of Strega found themselves after killing a shit ton of people and escaping the lab, and it was also our base of operations for a few years. Since Jin, Takaya, and Chidori all died at various levels of Tartarus, it is safe to assume that SEES, the prototype to the Shadow Ops, were also based here.”

                “So you’re saying that this is the Shadow Ops HQ?”

                “Nope, the official HQ is in Tokyo, as it should be. They do work with the government, after all. But I’d be dammed if they didn’t have this city covered by a sensor 24/7. They’re still way too wary of Tartarus resurfacing. Something to do with summoning another eldritch abomination or something.” Growing impatient, I pressed my palm against the lock and grinned in satisfaction as the lock started freezing up for real.

                “So what does that have to do with… oh…” Sho’s eyes lit up. I lifted my hand from the lock, which is frozen solid by now.

                “You see it don’t you?”

                “Yeah… If we pull off the theft now, our actions would be hidden amongst countless other actions done by the people of Port Island! But if we act during the Dark Hour…”

                “We’d be looking for trouble, since only Persona-users can act during the Dark Hour. Even if we defended ourselves from stray Shadows, it might tip off the Shadow Ops that there are unaccounted for Persona –users in the area. Better off avoiding the average cop, rather than going head to head with the Shadow Ops…” I removed my jacket and wrapped it around my fist several times until my hand was completely bound in cloth. Pulling back my fist, I took aim and punched the frozen lock as hard as I could.

                _Thud._ The multiple layers of cloth muted the sound of impact. Drawing back my fist, I smiled at the long crack that stretched across the whole lock. Drawing out my dagger, I slit it into the crack and pried the lock open. Without the lock holding it shut, the door creaked open.

                “What I don’t understand…” Sho continued speaking as the two of us walked into the dorm, “Is why you keep avoiding the Shadow Ops. I mean, I took on the entire Shadow Ops single handedly last year, so I really don’t see why you go the extra length to avoid them every single time.”

                “Well, did your confrontation with the Shadow Ops end well for you?” I glanced back at Sho, who had fell silent. “Don’t answer. Your face says it all, and you had all that extra power granted to you by your Faustian deal with Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, right? Even now, traces of that power still lies in you… as traces of Adachi’s past sins lies within me.”

                The both of us stood in silence for a while, remembering our transformations at the very end of the Kunino-Sagiri fight, the fearful words of the Shadow God hanging above us both, unspoken.

                _“… Ameno-Sagiri…? …Hi-no-Kagutsuchi…?”_

Somehow, both of us had obtained the powers of minor Shadow Gods, yet neither of us could call upon them at will. Snorting slightly, I shook my head and resumed my spiel.

                “But despite having all that power at your fingertips, you still lost. As such, even with the power that both of us could muster, I would avoid confronting the Shadow Operatives anytime soon. They might not be really powerful individually, but they always come in a whole pack, complete with scout, medic, and support. If they can’t defeat us head on, they’ll grind us down to exhaustion easily enough. And since they’ve got the support of the government…”

                “Okay, okay, I get your point. Sheesh.” Sho closed the door behind him, scratching the back of his head. “So you’re basically counting on the fact that, as an official government organization, they can’t mobilize as fast as we can, right?”

                “Yep. Seems like it wasn’t by mistake that you almost destroyed the world.”

                “Wha- SHIT FOR BRAINS!!!” I smiled as I swiftly drew my dagger, blocking Sho’s sword strike as sparks flew from our blades.

                “If you kill me now you’ll need to look for the box yourself. In the whole. Dam. Building.” Baring his teeth at me, Sho sheathed his blades and turned to look around at the room.

                “I’ll let you live then… anyway, we need to find a single box right? How do you reckon we do that?”

                “The Grandmaster did tell us that it was someone’s personal belongings, rather than something communal. I guess since this is a dorm, we should check in the various rooms first?”

                Nodding, we walked towards the stairway. While passing by, I brushed my hand along the screen of the TV, smiling as several ripples appeared on the screen. Noticing me stop, Sho turned around and raised an eyebrow.

                “Just securing an escape route.” I explained. “It seems like our little Inaba Goddess’ gimmick was not as local as people believe…”

                “The Lame Goddess of Inaba does not know her strength at all… Before he… left, Minazuki mentioned that Hi-no-Kagutsuchi was merely an unintentional side effect of Izamami-no-Okami’s experiment, and by all means should not have exceeded the Sagiri’s in strength. Yet he managed to hand the lame goddess’ ass to her on a fiery platter.” Sho answered with a grin. “If it was the old Goddess that faced Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, she would’ve kicked his ass in no time.”

                “So despite all her spunk, Marie-chan has no idea how to use her powers…” I mused as I reached for the door to the first bedroom to my right on the second floor. To my surprise, it wasn’t locked.

                _‘I guess since nobody’s here during break, they didn’t think to lock the individual rooms.’_

_‘Hmph… Well that certainly makes our lives easier…’_

Opening door, I started searching through the room as Sho did the same. After a while, the sound of Sho’s searching paused, and I looked back at the punster. He was looking down, a mixture of emotions on his face.

                “Sho… you’ve got something on your mind, right?” The punster flinched at my question. “You’ve been acting weird ever since we got back from the Nametame job, looking all emotional and shit whenever I mentions talking to Eubuleus. Just spit it out already.” Sho just crouched there, silent. After waiting for a few minutes, I turned back to my searching.

                “Tch… what a pain…” As I sifted through the shelves, I heard Sho clear his throat behind me.

                “Remember when you told me that your Persona warned you right before Kunino-Sagiri appeared?” I grunted in response. “Well… I received a similar warning, saying that I should be on my toes and that this wasn’t a normal Shadow fight… But it was Minazuki’s voice.” I tensed at his words, before shifted a few books around and replacing them onto their shelves.

                “Ah… I see… I think I understand what you’re talking about now…” Looking around the tiny room, I cleared my throat a bit. “I… I think we searched through this room quite well… Let’s move on to the next.” Sho rolled his eyes in annoyance and stood up to move with me. As we entered the next room, I frantically reached for Eubuleus.

                _‘Bro, bro, you there? Can you contact Tsukuyomi now?’_

_‘I… nope. I can’t.’_

_‘What do you mean you can’t? You’ve been chatting with him often enough that you can basically pinpoint his personality! And Sho is right here!’_

_‘Yeah, but can you talk to Sho if he is deliberately ignoring you? Cos’ that’s what Tsukuyomi is pulling now. I can feel his presence, but it feels as if he’s hiding something from me.’_

_‘Dammit…’_ As I cursed, I started sifting through the shelves on the second room. As Sho started doing the same, he spoke up again.

                “I heard him once again after that you know… right before our… transformations. He snarked at me for being controlled by Kunino-Sagiri right before I felt the fiery burst of energy. That, combined with what you told me about talking to Personas, made me think that perhaps Minazuki is-”

                “Actually Tsukuyomi, right?” I interrupted as I cleared out the bottom shelf. Sho nodded. “Yeah, I was suspecting the same thing, which is why I had Eubuleus ask Tsukuyomi about it.”

                “What, your Persona can talk to Tsukuyomi?!” Sho asked, wild eyed.

                “Yeah, what did you expect? Humans can talk to one another, what on earth made you think that Personas can’t do the same?”

                “SO WHY THE FUCK--” The punster’s objections were roughly cut short as I lunged and clamped a hand tight over his mouth.

                “Don’t fucking shout!” I snarled in a hushed whisper. “Did you forget that we are in the middle of a covert operation?! Now nod you head if you can stay relatively quiet.” Sho nodded, and I released my hand. The punster shoved me away and grimaced in disgust.

                “Don’t you dare fucking touch me again.  And why didn’t you tell me that Personas can talk to each other?”

                “Let’s talk while we move on to the next room. We do have a job to do after all.” Sho shrugged and we moved on. “The reason why I never mentioned it to you was because I never thought to. Now before you start flipping out on me again, let me ask you: would you ever think to tell a random person that turtles can communicate with each other? How about birds, dogs, spirits, or dragons? Would you ever think, out of the blue, to make a point that each of those entities can communicate with others of its own kind?”

                “Uhh…” For a second, Sho was speechless. “I… guess not?”

                “Yeah, you get it don’t you? It’s not that I’m purposely withholding the information from you, it’s just that the mundane nature of the info makes it hard for me to randomly bring it up as a topic.” I knelt down and started searching through the shelves and drawers, coughing slightly as a thick cloud of dust came up. “What’s with this room? It feels as though nobody has cleaned it in several ages…”

                “Hmm… okay, I get your point. So what did Tsukuyomi say?”

                “Nothing. He’s deliberately ignoring Eubuleus, and I don’t think that Eubuleus had made any headway in getting him to talk.”

                _‘Nope, I haven’t.’_

                “So no clues huh…. After all this time, I thought that maybe I’ve finally tracked down that sonofabitch Minazuki, but it seems that…” Sho crossed his arms and looked to the side, blinking.

                “On the contrary, I think you’re getting closer to finding him.” Waving my hand to clear away the small cloud of dust, I smiled at Sho. “The mere fact that Tsukuyomi, who apparently have been talking freely to Eubuleus, is ignoring him on this line of inquiry shows that Minazuki and Tsukuyomi are intrinsically linked. I would go as far to say that they are one and the same. Nevertheless, as to why you can’t contact him… that’s just too less data to go upon.”

                “Tch, so I’m still on my own huh? How the fuck am I supposed to contact Tsukuyomi if we never spoke before?” Sho walked over and started browsing the shelves.

                “I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m just saying you made progress. And seeing how Kunino-Sagiri’s control can pull him out, I’m guessing that he’s far from lost. And, not that it’s much, but I’ll be here to help you if you need help.”

                “What can you help with?” Sho scoffed. “Right now my best chance is getting Grandmaster to help drag that sonofabitch out… But thanks... for offering.”  I chuckled at Sho’s awkwardness.

“Is that the first time in your life that you’ve ever thanked someone? Hehehe… no need for thanks. We’re working as partners for the same boss. Even wolves look out for their own.” Standing up, I surveyed the room once more. “I think that’s it for this room. Let’s move on to the next.”

_*creak*_

I paused at the sound. _Did any of my footsteps make that sound before?_ Looking down, I carefully tapped my toe on several different floor boards.

_*thud* *thud* *thud* *creak*_

Raising an eyebrow, I crouched down and placed a hand on the creaky floorboard. It was slightly looser than the others. Drawing out my dagger, I managed to pry the floorboard off the floor. A battered cardboard box sat in the empty space below.

                “Bingo…” I muttered under my breath. Lifting the box out of its hiding place, I opened the lid and peered inside.

                _A lighter, a dried up permission, a choker, a set of headphones, a charred screw, an old notebook, a set of keys, a cell phone strap…. Holy shit, that’s a lot of crap…_

“This is bullshit.” Sho muttered, looking over my shoulder into the box. “Grandmaster asked us to fetch this? Why the hell would he need this shit?”

                “Hell if I know. But he’s willing to pay for it, so he’s gonna get it.” Standing up, I tucked the box under my armpit and started walking out of the room. “Let’s head back to Inaba. The Grandmaster’s waiting.” Nodding, Sho followed me.

                We headed down the stairs and walked towards the front door. As we got closer, I froze and threw out a hand to signal Sho to stop. There were voices coming from the other side.

                “Mitsuru-san, Aigis, Yukari, you really didn’t need to help me move everything here this late. I’m capable of handling my luggage myself.”    

                “What are you talking about Ken-kun? That’s what friends are for, right? And plus, I can’t have my little bishonen getting all tired out, right?” Takeba’s voice answered cheerfully.

                “Yukari-san, I believe you have fulfilled the criteria for what is known as “creepy” with your last words.” The stiff words of the mechanical maiden, Aigis, replied.

                _Shit! Why does it have to be them, of all people!_ Spinning around, I gestured at Sho towards the TV.  The punster nodded and started heading towards the television in the common room.

                “Wait.” This time, it was Mitsuru’s voice that came from the other end. “The lock is broken. There’s someone inside. Aigis?”

                “Yes Mitsuru-san, I shall scan the building immediately.”

                _Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP!!!_ And my hurried gestures, Sho hoisted himself up and started to lower himself into the TV. The screen was smaller than what we were used to, so the punster had some difficulty lowering himself in, but he slipped in eventually. Making sure the box was firmly tucked under my arm, I hoisted myself up and slipped my legs into the rippling screen.

                “There were two figures in the building, and they are currently… both entering into the TV?” Aigis’ surprised voice came again.

                “Persona-users! Aigis, stop them now!” At Mitsuru’s command, the door was blasted inwards. I quickly drew my evoker and tucked the barrel under my chin. Twisting around, I caught a glimpse of Agis standing at the doorway, with Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ken standing slightly behind her. Then I pulled the trigger to my evoker.

                “ **Mabufudyne!** ” A giant whirlind of ice and frost blasted out with me at the center, flash-freezing the entire inside of the first floor and forcing the Shadow Operatives back.

                “ **Atom Smasher!** ” A series of purples slashes crashed into the walls and pillars, easily shattering the frozen architecture. I shifted my weight and slipped into the TV as the Minatodai dormitory came crashing down around me.

                Landing on my feet, I looked up to find Sho waiting for me.

                “The Shadow Ops are on our trail now. You know how to get to Heaven?” The punster nodded and pulled out something from his pocket. It looked like a compass of some sort.

                “When I started working for him, the Grandmaster gave me this. It always points towards Heaven in the TV world, so we won’t lose the rendezvous point.”

                “Good.” I nodded towards Sho. “Lead the way then. Let’s get out of here before the Shadow Ops find another portal in.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I only own the OC

* * *

 

                “So we handed the box to Grandmaster… now what? He left us with a fortune cookie riddle and left!” Sho slumped over with his back to one of the pillars. I chuckled as I sifted through a bag that the Grandmaster lefts us. The last words the Grandmaster left us still rang in my ears.

                _“Thank you. You have done well, and here’s your payment. You’ll also find the necessities here to… clean up the mess. Right here would be fine. I’ll see you when you’re done.”_

“Dam man, you must be tired. Usually you’re a lot more sharp than that…” Pulling out a small bottle labeled “soma”, I took a sip, feeling my strength come back. Tossing the bottle over to Sho, I smiled as he caught it in midair. “Drink a sip of this. Not too much though, this stuff is rare.”

                “What is this shit?” The punster asked, sniffing the bottle suspiciously. “Doesn’t smell like anything. Why are you asking me to drink this? It makes no scents…”

                “It’s called soma, and it’ll completely rejuvenated you. Drink some. We’ve been hiking through the TV world for ages, and we need our strength back. Fast.” I kept a straight face, refusing to acknowledge that a pun has been made.

                “Okay, if you say so…” Sho took a sip of the Soma, and grimaced as it burned down his throat. “Hoo! I can feel it working… This is some strong stuff… Are we fighting soon?”

                “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

                “Duh, Caius. I might not be as good at scheming and planning as you are, but I’m not stupid. I almost brought about the end of the world, which is more than you can ever say for yourself.” I rolled my eyes as Sho smirked at me. “Anyways, there’s only one reason Grandmaster would leave us that kind of rare meds, and you would urge me to drink it fast, and that would be because we have to fight soon.”

                “Yeah, you hit it right on the mark…” I ruffled through the bag some more and found two envelopes full of cash, and two Space Badges. “I don't know how, but Grandmaster know that we alerted the Shadow Ops with our last job.” I tossed one of the Space Badges and envelopes of cash towards Sho, pocketing the rest. “And then he managed to gather a few of the rarest medicine and equipment you can find in the Dark Hour or the TV World, and gave them to us.”

                “So you’re saying that the Grandmaster expects us to handle the whole Shadow Operative attack team? How ironic. It was exactly what you wanted to avoid! Hahahaha…” The punster laughed loudly and stood up, completely reenergized by the soma. “So where are we meeting them?”

                “Here. With those two sensors of theirs, it’s unthinkable that they won’t be able to find us. Might as well wait for them to slowly slash their way across an army of Shadows, rather than meeting them out in the field when they are fresh.”

                “Tch, you remind me of that Adachi guy. He was also like that, waiting for the enemy to make their way slowly towards him. You know that he drove me nuts, keeping me cooped up in the school. What’s wrong with taking out your enemies before they get to you?” Sho muttered angrily.

                “I don’t know what Adachi would say, but I do know one thing.” I replied wryly, “And that’s the fact that Adachi managed to keep Inaba under the terror of his murder spree for a whole year, give or take. You got taken down in a weekend. Really says something about your respective tactics, right?” Sho glared at me angrily, and I raised both my hands in a sign of peace.

                “Besides,” I continued, “even you must agree that fighting the whole Shadow Operatives head to head right now would be bad, right? I mean, from what I heard you neutralized a few of the strongest fighters of the Shadow Operatives before carrying out your plan. And that was when you were at your peak. Now, however, we have just hiked for several hours and we’re basically running on weird Shadow meds. You get my drift?” The punster glared at me for a few more seconds, and then sat back down again. I chuckled to myself and leant back against the pillar. Turning my face over to the Gates of Heaven, I relaxed.

                _‘Eubuleus, that door is locked, right?’_

_‘Yeah, it’s propped shut by several large pillars.’_

_‘Good… I suppose a nap is in order than…’_

The golden gates faded away along with my consciousness…

* * *

 

                A loud banging noise woke me up from my slumber. Rubbing my eyes, I stood up and stretched. At the other end of the plaza, I saw Sho get up and do the same. Walking over to him, I drew my Lupara and popped two buck-shots into the barrels. The banging was coming from the Gates of Heaven, with the Gates trembling with every crash.

                “I think that’s our guests… you ready for it?” I asked Sho. The punster smirked and drew his katanas, clashing them against each other in a shower of sparks.

                “I’m more than ready… But knowing you and them, you guys would want to throw around some philosophical debate over what’s wrong and what’s right. Am I right about that?” I chuckled sheepishly.

                “Yeah… That’s right on the mark.”

                “Hmph. Knew it.” The punster snorted. “Do what you want then, but bear in mind that I’m not holding back in the fight. I fight to kill.” I raised an eyebrow in mock hurt.

                “Who do you take me for? I bet I’ve killed twice as many people as you have, including a couple in Sumaru City, I might add. Don’t mix me up with the Shadow Operatives. Just because I’m philosophical doesn’t mean I’m anywhere near moral.”

                “Heh, just what I wanted to hear.” Just as Sho finished answering, the Gates of Heaven swung open with a loud crash, revealing sixteen figures standing behind the Gates.

                “You sure you could take at least eight, bro?” I muttered to Sho next to me. The punster chuckled.

                “I was about to ask you the same thing…” As the punster muttered back, the Shadow Operatives slowly advanced towards us. A gray haired youth and a mechanical maiden stood at the very front.

                “There they are! Be careful guys, both of them are giving me a bad feeling…” Kujikawa’s voice rang up from the back of the group. Fuuka soon joined in.

                “Yes, Rise-san is right. They’re both giving off an extremely dangerous aura. Not just Sho, but also Caius…” Narukami nodded his head in acknowledgement, while Aigis crouched down as if in preparation for battle.

                “Caius Gevauden-san…. I thought I caught a glimpse of you before the destruction of the dormitory. Was that level of destruction necessary?” Aigis spoke up, her body still tense. I shrugged.

                “Collateral damage is, by definition, unnecessary. What was the injury count?”

                “Why do you want to know? So you can gloat over it?” Hamamura snarled towards me. I smirked at his angry face.

                “Suuuuuure Hamamura, I would totally gloat in your face that I snuffed out an unsuspecting and defenseless passerby. That is totally me right?” I bent my neck to the side, feeling the joints crack. “No, seriously I’m just curious. Did anyone die in that little… demolition?” From the side of the group, Shirogane walked forwards a few steps.

                “There were a few injuries, but nobody was killed. Nevertheless, there was a massive amount of property damage that you must be held accountable for. So I would like to take you in for questioning on why you were in the Minatodai dorm to start out with, as well as your relationship to the man next to you, who is a wanted criminal by the Shadow Operatives.” I looked over to Sho, who had tensed up at his mention.

                “Oh, so that’s the charges against me? Trespassing, property damage, and correspondence to a wanted criminal? I don’t really think that’s it. Cos’ the lot of you sure don’t look like you’re here on a simple matter of trespassing. You look like you’re all decked out for war. You must be expecting me to put up quite a struggle to avoid… what, a maximum sentence of 1 year in a detention facility? And that’s assuming that you can prove that trespassing in Minatodai has the same harmful effects as trespassing in a military zone.” I smiled at all the Shadow Operative’s tense faces, “And as for the property damage, well, none of you can prove that right? But I do so hate to be a leech on the taxpayers, so here…”

                Pulling my latest paycheck out of my pocket, I dropped the envelope full of cash on the ground, and slid it over to where Aigis and Narukami were standing. Both eyed the envelope warily.

                “I’m not unreasonable. The money in that envelope should be enough to rebuild Minatodai. Maybe not as the luxury dorm that it once was, but a basic three-floor dorm with a kitchen and common room? You can totally get construction teams that would do that for this amount.” At my side, Sho raised an eyebrow.

                “Wow, you really giving them your whole paycheck? I mean, really?” I smirked.

                “No big deal. Pretty sure they’re not gonna take it. Plus, the last paycheck was enough for me to live like a king for a year or two, so I don’t really need this one.” Right after my words fell, Satonaka took a step forward from behind Narukami and swung a heavy kick at the envelope, sending it flying at my face. Reaching up, I caught the envelope in the middle of my palm before it could hit me.

                “Don’t you think you can pay us off with your filthy money!!!” The Chariot spoke through clenched teeth. I smirked at Sho.

                “What did I tell you?” I muttered under my breath. The punster shrugged. Pocketing the money, I took a step forwards and raised both hands in mock resignation.

                “Calm down, Satonaka-san. What would you have a guy do? You people rush in here, breaking down my door and charging me with property damage. I’m a nice guy, so I give you guys the money to pay for this property damage. And now you yell at me, saying you don’t want my ‘filthy money’… There’s just no pleasing you, isn’t there?” I lowered my hands, and cracked my neck once more, smiling widely at the Shadow Operatives. “Or is there something bigger at work here? Something that none of us have mentioned yet?”

                A tense silence followed, before a huge man wielding a shield stepped forward.

                “Cut the crap. You’re the one who murdered Nametame and kidnapped Marie, right?” The man’s tone was relatively calm, but I could feel fury rushing through him.

                “Ohhh…? A murder charge. Now that explains why you’re all armed to the teeth… Tatsumi-san, right?” I smiled mockingly at Kanji Tatsumi, “Well maybe you should’ve mentioned that first, unless… there’s nothing that points to me being the murderer to Taro Nametame, other than the fact that I’m a Persona-user, right? You’ve got law enforcers amongst your members, and they warned you guys that there’s nothing incriminating against me, right?” Shirogane stared back defiantly as I leered at her out of the corner of my eye.

                “Quit dodging the question, dammit!!” The Emperor yelled at me, rapping a knuckle on his shield.

                “Whether I murdered Nametame? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I’m exercising my right against self-incrimination. But I can tell you that I have nothing to do with Marie’s disappearance. That, you can take for a fact.”

                “You fucking punk!” Tatsumi raised his shield and started to charge at me, only to be held back by Narukami. The Fool looked at me, his mouth forming a single word.

                “Why?” I raised an eyebrow.

                “Narukami, you are aware that that question could be aimed at half a dozen different subjects that all make sense in the current context, right? C’mon, give me something to work on here.” The Fool slightly lowered his blade and stood up straight. The rest of the Shadow Operatives maintained their fight stances. Sho shifted impatiently next to me.

                “Why did you kill Adachi?” My eyes widened at the unexpected question, and my right hand clenched as the familiar heartbeats resonated through the palm once more.

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

                “I had no choice. What would you have done, Narukami? With five seconds to think before the carnage begins, what would you have done? Would you have done what I did? Or would you have kept Adachi alive while the rest of the Shadow Operatives tore his Persona apart, bit by bit?” The gray-haired Fool kept silent for a while before responding.

                “I don’t know. Which is why I am confused. Murder has always been… an act of evil in my eyes. Yet what you did to Adachi… I can’t even start defining how confused that made me…” I chuckled at the Fool’s confession.

                “Heh, and so you should. As long as you remain on the ‘good’ side of moral and law, you would never understand the bond that was shared between me and Adachi. The bond between murderers.” I smiled nostalgically as I remembered our first time killing Shadows drunk. “If it makes you feel any better, his murder was committed with his own blessings. For him, death was preferable to losing his Persona.”

                “I see… why betray us then? I thought we were teammates, but now you’re standing on the other side of the battlefield.”

                “Should there be a reason?” Junpei’s voice snarled, “He wasn’t worthy of trust to start out with, being from Strega and all that. Should we really be surprised that he ended up betraying us?”

                “Betraying you?” I repeated, amused. “When did I ever betray you? I believe that after the Sumaru City job, I was honorably discharged from the Shadow Operatives by Mitsuru Kirijo-san herself. Am I not allowed to seek employment elsewhere after leaving the Shadow Operatives? Or do you guys require a lifetime of servitude from your employees?”

                At my words, most of the Shadow Operatives did a double-take, and shifted their attention towards Kirijo, who didn’t even blink an extra time from all the extra attention. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

                _‘Why on earth are they so surprised at that? Unless…’_

_‘Kirijo must have told them a completely different story than what had happened. After all, the only ones to bear witness to our discharge from the Shadow Operatives were her and us.’_

_‘True…’_

“Kirijo-san, you told us that Caius just disappeared without a word… You even forbade Rise and Fuuka from scanning for him until the destruction of the Minatodai dorm. May I ask, what is the meaning of this deception?” Aigis asked. Kirijo lowered her rapier by a bit and shook her hair out of her face before answering.

                “It was to protect Caius, in a sense.” I raised an eyebrow, and several of the Shadow Operatives shot each other confused looks. Kirijo continued on: “I recognized that what Caius did was the only clear course of action at the moment, and the most humane out of the available options. By all means, he saved us a huge fight, and saved Adachi-san from much suffering.

“But I also recognized that the choice was controversial enough that he would have to face social, if not legal, repercussions, and so I did what I thought was best for him. By discharging Caius honorably in private, and declaring him a MIA agent in public…”

“You basically placed me into an impromptu witness protection program.” I finished for her. “I salute you, Kirijo, since you managed to pull off such a gambit with no one the wiser, yet you forgot one simple detail: Witness protection programs only work when the ones being protected are in on the secret. As such, you only made sure that I got branded a traitor in addition to the rest of my infamy.” Mitsuru’s face twitched at my words, and she completely lowered her rapier.

“Yes, that is a result of the lies that I wove. Please accept my deepest apologies.” Stepping forward, the Empress sheathed her sword and bowed deeply in my direction. “And that goes to the rest of the Shadow Operatives as well. I’m sorry that all of you are once more inconvenienced by my lack of faith in all of you.”

“It’s seems like old habits die hard, huh?” Takeba said from the back, her tone reproachful and exasperated at the same time. “Ah well, you really need to learn how to trust others Kirijo-san. We got all riled up and thought Caius was our enemy for a while there, but I guess everything’s fine now…” The actress lowered her bow and relaxed slightly, as did a few of the other Shadow Operatives around her.

                “Don’t lower your guard, Takeba-san.” Shirogane was among those who kept their guards up as she spoke up, “Just because he isn’t a traitor doesn’t mean he is a friend. Right before all this, he mentioned that he is under someone else’s employment, and there is also the fact of Nametame’s death, Marie’s disappearance, and his break-in to Minatodai. He’s been busy, and we can’t assume that he’s friendly.”

                “Right on mark, Shirogane.” The Shadow Operatives tensed up again with my agreement. “I happen to be working for someone who doesn’t really want you guys snooping around here too much, and asked me to stop you guys here. So, we can either do it the nice way, with you guys either leaving or staying here peacefully, or we can do it the extremely… messy way.”

                “So you ARE the enemy!” Ken swung his spear around a few times and entered a fighting stance. Next to him, Koromaru snarled at me. Next to me, Sho let out a bark of laughter.

                “Of course we’re the enemy, kid! What, did you think that we were just gonna talk it out over a cup of coffee or something? HAH! I thought that since you _brew_ up, you might’ve grown a bit more mature, but nope! Hahahaha…” I pinched the bridge of my nose a few times in exasperation.

                “As Sho said, we are currently at a conflict of interest here. You guys want to detain the two of us. We like our freedom, and we have been given orders to stop you guys here. Quite the dilemma, if I do say so myself….” I cracked open an eyelid and peered at the Shadow Operatives. “I don’t suppose that I can convince you guys to leave us in peace, so we can part ways as friends?” The Shadow Operatives stared at me in disbelief, and Narukami chuckled.

                “Nope, I don’t think so. What about you? Can I do anything to convince you to join the good side again?” The Fool smiled sincerely as he stated his offer. “I’m sure Kirijo-san can whip up something to help you with the charges that you face.” The Fool stood in front of me, smiling, oblivious of all the stares of disbelief from his comrades. It was my turn to chuckle.

                “Nope. You see, Narukami, only hindsight is 20/20 on who is ‘good’ and who is dead. Before that, we only have our values to guide us.” I grinned widely at my enemies as I crouched into a fight stance. “Just as your values are based on morals and the law, mine is based upon the trust between a client and a mercenary. I would never betray my client as long as my client doesn’t do anything to break our trust.”

                “Stop giving yourself such noble excuses!!!” Hanamura snarled at me, “You’re just a worthless criminal, like all of the others!!!”

                “Tch, tch, tch, Hanamura. You shout that insult as if it means something. ‘I am human. My opponent is less than human.’ Isn’t that thought the cornerstone for every single lethal conflict in human history?  In the current context, your insult merely solidifies our status as foes.” I grinned mockingly at the Magician. “But I assume since you came here armed to the teeth, you already consider me a mortal enemy, right?”

                “So you would not reconsider?” Narukami asked one last time, lifting his sword once more.

                “Would any of you?” I pulled the hammer back on my shotgun and hefted it onto my shoulder. “Besides, we are far past the point of no return. Even if you guys are right and I am fighting for the wrong side, it makes no difference. _I am in blood /Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, /Returning were as tedious as go o'er._ ”

                Narukami nodded solemnly as he crouched into a fighting stance. Next to me, Sho rubbed his katanas together, making sparks fly.

                “Are you done yet?” The irritated punster asked. I nodded. “Finally! That conversation was getting unbearable! **Heat Riser**!” Sho crouched into a fighting stance as a glowing aura infused into his body. I chuckled and crouched down as well.

                “ **Power Charge**.” An electrical spark flew down my body, and I felt various joints on my body pop as my body tensed up. The Shadow Operatives were also casting various buffing spells upon themselves, lighting up the plaza with the light of their spells. I felt a maniacal grin creep up my face, and Eubuleus shivered with excitement at the bloodlust within me.

                _‘Hehehe, it’s been a while since we last felt such bloodlust. Shall we dance then?’_ His voice was brimming with excitement, a feeling that we shared.

_‘Eubuleus, let’s give them hell.’_


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I only write this disclaimer out of fear of being sued. And I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                “HAH!” With a feral snarl, Sho sprung forward, his blades mere flashes surging towards Narukami’s throat. The Fool, without even blinking out of rhythm, raised his sword just in time to parry Sho’s strike.

                The three swords clashed in a shower of sparks, and Sho bounced upwards. Back flipping through the air, the punster landed atop the pillars on the opposite side of the plaza. Crouching down lightly, Sho smiled tauntingly at Narukami.

                “I told ya I would return to kill you someday, Narukami! Hahaha… So… are Yu ready?” The punster’s eyes and scar flashed bright blue for a spit-second as he leered down at the Fool. Narukami actually cracked a smile as he lifted his katana.

                “Mitsuru-san, Ken-kun, Junpei-san, Kanji, Labrys, Chie, come with me. We’ll deal with Sho, since our weapons are more suited to parrying sword strikes. Rise, you will support us. Aigis-san, I am trusting you to deal with Caius?”

                “Yes Narukami-san. Take care.” The mechanical maiden didn’t take her eyes off me as she responded. From somewhere behind the lines, Shirogane jogged forward and placed a hand on Narukami’s shoulder. The Fool placed a hand on hers, and the couple shared a brief, lingering look before the Fool shook off the detective’s hand.

                “Let’s go!” At the command of their leader, Narukami’s unit of Shadow Operatives jogged towards Sho. The rest of them focused their attention on me. I smiled lazily as I swung one arm around, feeling the joints pop and crackle. A thin, misty steam emitted from me as Power Charge was still in effect.

                “I guess… we have already said all there is to be said right?” I stated lazily. “All that remains is to toss the coin and see who ends up the last one standing?”

                “Gevauden-san… while I do respect your life choices, I can’t help but be irritated by them…” Aigis spoke slowly. “I have fought hard to earn my life, and to find meaning in my life… Yet when I see you, I see no purpose in your life. No meaning at all. How can a human such as you squander what I have worked so hard to gain?” I raised an eyebrow at her accusations.

                “Hm… interesting… you might be a lot more interesting than I have anticipated, Aigis-san… As for why I live the way I do, well, even I can’t say for sure. We humans can rarely explain our own actions for any given situation…” I twirled my dagger between my fingers for a bit before sheathing it. “So why don’t we get down to business, and start trying to kill each other already? If you’re lucky, you might even hear the answer to your question in my dying breath.” The Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

                “As you wish then.” When she opened her eyes once more, it was filled with resolution and resignation. Aigis crossed her arms and expanded her chest, swinging her arms to either side of her body. With multiple snaps and cracks, multiple pieces of machinery expanded out from her petite form. A Gatling gun sprang out from each side of her hips, while two massive missile launchers snapped out from the top of her shoulders. As if that wasn’t enough, the tips of her fingers opened to reveal a gun barrel within each finger. My eyes widened as I noticed the ridiculous amount of gun barrels pointed at me.

                _‘Holy Jesus mother of fuck…’_

_‘Well, Caius. You done goofed.’_ Eubuleus deadpanned. I was too busy staring at the walking weapon of mass destruction in front of me to respond.

                The barrels of the Gatling cannons started whirling, shaking me out of my stupor. Blinking, I focused just in time to see the gun barrels light up. I felt a mental tug in my mind and went through my body like an electrical shock, and before I knew it, I was five feet in the air, mid- summersault, and looking down as the shower of bullets completely destroyed the ground on which I had stood on.

                Aigis’ eyes turned upwards and focused on my flying figure. Without any warning, a shower of missiles were released from the torrents on her shoulders, homing in on me.

                _‘Jesus fuck, she’s a Wild Card AND a motherfuckin’ walking armory, complete with homing missiles?! What the fuck?! Just how much cash did the Kirijo Group dump into her?’_

_‘Well, if you consider all the other shit that the Ergo labs pulled…’_

_‘Shut up Eubuleus. This is not the time for logic!’_ Twisting around in mid-air, I slashed at the glowing red Tarot cards that appeared before me.

                “ **Mabufudyne**!” A thick shell of ice engulfed me into a protective cocoon. Just as the thick ice shell covered my face, several shockwaves shook the icy shell, creating large cracks on the barrier that I had set up. Flexing my body, I expanded my chest and sent the cracked ice cocoon shattering into several different pieces, each flying in a different direction.

                A thick veil of hot, acrid smelling smoke greeted me as I emerged from my shell. Spinning around mid-air to clear the smoke away, I lifted my head sharply at the sound of Aigis’ voice.

                “Pallas Athena!” At her command, her Persona materialized behind her and charged at me, shield raised and spear flashing, right as I was beginning my freefall. My eyes widened as the tip of Pallas Athena’s spear drew increasingly closer.

                Angling my Lupara downwards, I quickly pulled both triggers, feeling the gun jump up in my hand. I didn’t fight the recoil, instead allowing it to push me upwards, spinning around so that my feet faced the incoming Persona.

                As Pallas Athena charged closer, I set my feet on the wide shield and leant backwards, wincing as the spear scratched along a cheek. Kicking off, I back-flipped away from the Persona and landed squarely on my feet.

At the moment I landed, a barrage of bullets thudded into my torso, knocking the wind out of me. They were closely followed by three arrows, one piercing each shoulder and one hitting my right thigh. The sheer velocity of all the projectiles hitting me sent me flying back and landing with a crash.

_Shit… bitches… too focused on the fucking missiles to keep an eye on the others…_ I ranted to myself as a pool of blood slowly formed under my body.

“Do you think he’s okay? Maybe we overdid it…” A concerned voice said.

“Who cares? He definitely wouldn’t have shown us any mercy…” Another voice, Hanamura’s, scoffed.

“I…suppose you’re right…” I wheezed out, causing the Shadow Operatives to fall in silence. The Space Badge fastened at the collar of my hoodie glowed slightly, and the blood flowing out of my wounds started flowing backwards. Wincing in pain, I slowly sat up and started pulling the arrows out of my body. As the flesh of my wounds started knitting themselves together, the bullets in my torso was pushed out of my body. The Shadow Operatives looked on at the grisly sight, slack jawed.

“You have gotta be kidding me… After all that and he just stands up and regenerates?” Hanamura complained. “I mean, what the hell?”

“Hehehe… Sorry… to disappoint…” I chuckled as the last of my wounds knitted themselves together, “But I think you need to keep up a more consistent barrage of attacks to take me down.”

“I… I think I’ve seen Senpai do that in several situations, depending on the Personas he was using, as well as Kanji-kun…” Shirogane said warily, “But I’ve never seen Caius do that before… and Senpai did tell me that it was a rare ability for a Persona to have…” At the front of the group, Agis discarded her depleted missiles pads and Gatling guns with a huge crash.

“Fuuka-san?” Aigis asked as her hands whirled around in a series of clacking, relocating her Gatling ammunition belts to her machine guns. The teal-haired scanner nodded before pressing her evoker to her forehead. I let out a bark of laughter, causing my opponents to flinch.

“Did you guys forget that I EXIST?” With a shout, I slashed at the tarot card in front of me. “ **Atom Smasher**!” At my command, a giant shower of purple slashes descended upon the Shadow Operatives.

“ **Shields of Justice**!” At Shirogane’s command, the familiar riot shields materialized before each of the Shadow Operatives, protecting them from my charged up attack.

_‘But that’s fine, isn’t it?’_ Eubuleus commented at the back of my head, as I started sprinting forwards, quickly reloading my Lupara. _‘I really don’t think you expected Shirogane to keep herself from pulling that little trick…’_

I chuckled as I darted left and right under the cloud of dust that my attack threw up. I sprinted past the Shadow Operatives before they could react, and headed straight towards the direction where Juno, Fuuka’s Persona, stood.

“Dammit, I didn’t cover her with-!!” Shirogane’s cursing was cut short as I lifted my shotgun at the scanner and pulled down both triggers.

With a loud shriek, Juno’s protective bubble shattered, and the Persona dematerialized. Fuuka’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth in a silent scream as her right arm was clipped by the shotgun blast, snapping the arm back and tearing through the muscles. As the sensor fell to the ground, clutching her injured arm, I clucked my tongue in annoyance and quickly drew my dagger to finish the job.

“Oh no you don’t!!! Let the wind blow!” At Hanamura’s cry, a weak healing aura surrounded Fuuka and staunched the bleeding on her right arm. Glancing back, I saw the Magician hurtling towards me at a faster speed than is humanly possible.

Crossing my arms, I caught one kunai with my dagger as I blocked the other with the Lupara. I took advantage of the Magician’s momentum and snapped my right leg straight, jamming the heel into Hanamura’s solar plexus. As the Magician fell back, wheezing, I lunged forward, jabbing my dagger forwards straight to the Magician’s heart. Yosuke swerved to the side at the last minute, but my blade still sliced through his shoulders, severing muscles and tendons.

_Tch, sonofabitch is fast…_ I thought to myself before swinging the butt of the Lupara around and slamming it into Yosuke’s head, knocking the Magician down and freeing my stiletto.

Before I could follow up with another attack, a gray blur filled my line of vision, and I felt a fist slam into my ribs several times. The force of impact sent me flying backwards, landing in a half-crouch and coughing blood. Lifting my head, I saw a livid Akihiko standing in front of the prone figure of Yosuke and Fuuka, while a very worried Yukiko applied healing magic to both. A series of mechanical snapping alerted me of Aigis and Naoto behind me, guns cocked and ready. Keeping Akihiko within my peripheral vision, I leered back at the mechanical maiden, my mouth twisted in a lopsided grin.

“There, there, ladies. You might want to angle yourself a bit before you shoot, or else any bullet that doesn’t hit me would hit Akihiko, Yukiko, and both your injured friends…” Aigis didn’t respond, opting to look past me towards Yukiko.

“Are they alright?”

“I’m alright. Nothing I haven’t experienced at the hands of Chie…” Hanamura stood up, rejuvenated by Yukiko’s magic. Fuuka, however, stayed down while Yukiko remained huddled over her.

“Yukiko, is she alright?” Akihiko asked, not taking his eyes off me. Yukiko looked up, and slightly shook her head.

“Physically she is fine. But the direct attack on her Persona seems to have sent her into shock… I remember the same thing happening when Rise first tried blocking an attack for us, she went into shock and had to take a long break before she was able to summon her Persona again…”

“I’m not surprised…” I muttered. The Shadow Operatives tensed and started glaring at me. I shrugged and continued, “To be honest, most Personas don’t even share the same general shape as humans, yet we share all feelings of pain. She just felt her whole torso shatter, at a location where her torso shouldn’t exist. That kind of phantom pain is extremely disorientating, especially if it’s your first time.”

“You talk as though you are not the reason for it.” Akihiko snarled. Somewhere to my right, a growl echoed his thoughts, and I spied a white dog standing there with a kunai in its mouth.

_So that’s how the dog fights, huh? Well this is highly amusing…_

Returning my attention to Akihiko, I sighed before grinning widely at the boxer:

“Well what would you have me do then? You are many, I am one, and we are pretty open about our hostile relationship. All of you should know that Sho and I would be fighting to kill in this fight, since we’re disadvantaged from the get go. Yet you rely on _distance_ to protect your scanners, the weakest and most vital link to your chain of commands.” I opened my arms dramatically, my grin growing into a maniacal smile. “Sounds to me as if the only ones to blame for Fuuka’s injury… are yourselves.”

“Grrrrrgggg, how dare you Vaudy! You are even worse than Adachi-baby!” A squeaky voice answered to my left, opposite to Koromaru. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the distinctive figure of Teddie crouched, metal claws glinting. “This bear is not going to forgive you! Rrrraaaarrgg!” As Teddie ranted, a yellow flaming aura started to emit from his body. I raised an eyebrow at the bear’s power-up.

_‘The fuck is this? Dragon Ball Z?’_

_‘Don’t underestimate him Caius… in terms of raw power I’m getting a really bad vibe off him…’_ Eubuleus commented at the back of my head.

_‘What about in terms of skill level?’_

_‘Ummm…. Yeah you have a point. Continue on as you will.’_

“I’m going to punish you in the name of Yammy-san!! Rrraaarrrrg!” With a roar, the bear started rushing at me, claws shining. My eyes widened slightly at the charging figure.

“Impressive strength and speed… but the more you commit to one vector…” Keeping my eye on the charging bear, I side-stepped and allowed his charge to rush past me. As I spun to his side, I casually lifted one leg. “The weaker you are to a force perpendicular to your attack!”

Snapping my upper body back, I threw my leg out forward, hitting Teddie at the temple.

“You’re dead- hmm?” My kick met no resistance as Teddie’s head merely popped off and started bouncing away. From within the hollow suit which was Teddie’s body, a blonde youth bounced up and threw something huge into the air.

“Heads up!!” At the cheerful cry the youth in front of me, I instinctively sidestepped, feeling the ground tremble as something extremely heavy landed where I was standing. Regaining my footing, I blocked two claw strikes from the bear (boy?) and jammed my knee forward, sending Teddie tumbling backwards.

“Teddie! You alright?” Yukiko cried out. The downed bear (boy?) perked up his head at that.

“Oh Yuki-chan, you care about me? I- eep!” In a sudden movement, the boy in the bear-suit suddenly stood up and started running around, holding up the bottom half of his bear-suit tightly. “I’m like a newborn in here! Where is my head!? HEEEEAAAADDDDD!!!!! Where arrrrrreeeee youuuuuuu!” As I reloaded my Lupara, I glanced at a side to see what had almost crushed me, and did a double take as I saw a giant anvil laying in a small crater next to me.

_How the fuck did he fit that in…. No, WHY did he have that in his bear suit?!_

“I… think he’s fine…” Shirogane muttered to herself as Hanamura face-palmed.

“Here Teddie, I found it!” At a far corner of the plaza, Yukiko’s head popped out from behind one of the pillars, holding up Teddie’s head cover.

“Thank you Yuki-chaaaaaaaaaaaaan--------” Teddie started jogging towards where Yukiko was standing, a squeak punctuating every step and holding his body suit up to cover his privates. I felt several beads of sweat roll down my neck as I watched the two of them.

“Umm… are they pulling a comedy routine?” I asked Akihiko, who was trying very hard not to look at the two, and Hanamura who still haven’t emerged from his face-palm.

“It does not matter. Our objective still stands.” Agis’ voice seemed to bring us back to reality. I heard a series of clicks, and instinctively hopped onto the anvil at my side, using the extra height to backflip out of the way as Aigis unleashed a burst of machine gun fire at where I was standing.

As I soared in mid-air, a circle of Dark Runes surrounded me, accompanied by a long howl. Smiling as the mudoon spell passed through me harmlessly, I twisted around to see a white blur rushing to me. Narrowing my eyes, I slashed blindly at the blur, drawing blood from Koromaru but also feeling the blade of a kunai slice between my ribs.

“ **Garudyne**!” A giant blast of wind from Yosuke blew me and the dog apart. I back-flipped and regained my balance in free fall, sheathing my dagger and reaching into my bag. Shirogane’s eyes followed my falling trajectory closely.

“Now! **Megidolaon**!” She screamed the moment my feet touched the floor. In an instant my surroundings were lit up with a myriad of summon auras. I grinned in the face of eight –dyne level spells headed in my direction, pulling two objects out of my pocket.

_How typical of them…. Do they think they’re playing a video game?_ I quickly threw the two objects in the air, where they glowed and dispersed to an aura around me.

**Magic Mirror. Physical Mirror.**

Three ethereal walls, not unlike those summoned by Shirogane, descended and formed a protective wall around me. The swirling mass of spells converged upon me, pressing against the summoned walls, forming a pulsing glowing mass around me. There was a pause, short enough to be contained in a heartbeat, but long enough for me to start worrying that the sheer mass of spells would shatter the shield. But sure enough, the mass of spells around me exploded outwards, devastating everything surrounding me and sending the Shadow Operatives flying away.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!”  I threw my head back and laughed in the middle of the devastation, the shattered shards of the summoned mirrors slowly falling and dissipating around me.

“How DARE you hurt Yukiko!” I flinched at the unexpected voice, and ducked just in time to avoid a powerful kick to my head. Jumping back to draw some distance, I raised an eyebrow as Chie Satonaka bounced around in a fighting stance in front of me. _Wasn’t she supposed to be fighting Sho?_

“CHIE! Don’t break the formation- GODDAMMIT!!!” I heard the loud swearing of Kanji mixed together with the clash of metal against metal, with Sho’s laughter underlying the din. I turned and grinned towards the Chariot standing in front of me.

“So you broke formation in order to help your little friend…. How sweet…. But are you really sure that’s the best course of action?” Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a Sho slashing left right and center at the other members of the Shadow Operatives, who barely seemed to be able to keep up with his speed. “Did you ever see the Leeroy Jenkins video? Cos’ that’s what you’re doing now.” The Chariot didn’t take her eyes off me, but slightly shifted her stance sideways.

“Are you alright Yukiko?” The Priestess’ head popped up from behind a bunch of debris.

“Oh, Chie! Yes I’m fine, since I was at the back. It’s the others that need healing, but we’re all fine! Now go back to deal with Sho!” Chie nodded, but as she shifted her weight back, she suddenly found herself facing the barrel of my gun. I chuckled before pulling down both triggers. The Chariot drew up a leg, protecting her vital areas with the iron shin guards, but countless bloody cuts erupted from her shoulders and arms as the buck-shot pellets found their marks.

“Did you really expect to make such a grandiose fuck-up in a fight against me and get away with it scotch-free?” Quickly slipping the shotgun back into its holster, I lunged forward and threw a quick kick to the side of the knees, sending Chie staggering back. Chasing after her, I delivered a flurry of blows.

“So you. Call those. Bonds. Eh? Well. Sorry to. Break your. Bubble. But. As you. Can see. You’re not. Helping!” I punctuated every few words with a strike. With her arms partially disabled, the Chariot was unbalanced and unable to completely avoid my attacks, so while she was able to protect her vitals, her shoulders, arms, and legs only got progressively bloodier as I continued my ruthless assault. “Instead. You just. Make her. Worry about. You. Like an. Unruly. Child!!”

As Chie stumbled back a few more steps under my barrage of attacks, I noticed a glowing tarot card appear briefly under her foot. The Chariot’s eyes suddenly opened wide in triumph.

“Someone like you would never understand the meaning of bonds! Suzuka Gongen, **God’s Hand**!” The armored Persona appeared behind Chie, holding up a hand that was engulfed in golden energy. Above me, a giant golden fist started materializing. “Now go to HELL!!!”

“Oh I will…” I muttered to myself. Smiling maniacally, I swept a low kick at the Chariot’s bloody shins, knocking her down. Planting a foot firmly on her stomach, I slashed downwards with my dagger, severing several muscle clumps in Chie’s thighs. I smiled down at her face, which had gone pale with pain, and lifted my face to stare into the eyes of Suzuka Gongen. “But not quite yet….”

The giant Persona paused its attack, the giant golden fist still hovering in mid-air. The two of us held each other’s gaze for a few seconds before Suzuka lowered her fist. The giant golden fist dissipated, while the Persona followed shortly. Under my boot, Satonaka gasped in shock.

“Why… why did she…?” I raised an eyebrow and looked down.

“Why? And you claim to understand bonds? Suzuka Gongen is your Persona. She can kill anyone for you… but she can’t kill you. If she brought her fist down, I would’ve had no problem dodging. You, on the other hand, would not be so lucky…” I raised my head to see several of the other Shadow Operatives glaring at me with intense looks in their eyes. Yukiko looked like she was barely holding back tears as she cast worried glances at the girl lying at my feet. I raised my voice. “I presume that’s also why the rest of you people are not attacking me, eh? The two of us are so close together that you can’t cast a spell on one without hitting the other, and Satonaka’s so injured none of your dare rush me in fear that I would just pinch out her lifeline. Hehehe… What do you people know about bonds, eh? Hehehe….”

“How dare you say that? How could you claim to know about bonds?” The Chariot wheezed out. I cocked my head to a side and looked down at the girl being crushed by my boot. “We fought together for a year, we defeated Namatame, Adachi, and Izanami within that year. Murderers like you can never understand the bond that we share…” I chuckled in amusement, and leaned forward, causing Chie to whimper in pain. At a distance, Yukiko took a step forward, her eyes lighting up with fury, only to be held back by Akihiko.

“You know, what you say might be right. But do you really think that solving a mystery and defeating a God together proves that your bond is strong? Hah! Bonds are forged and strengthened through shared hardships, but they’re not tested that way. Narukami moved away after a year. So what? He was still merely a single train-ride away. Bonds are tested through distance and loss of contact. Are your bonds really strong? Can they endure the final test of time? Hehehe, don’t make me laugh. Your bonds are pathetic.” I reached down and grabbed the Chariot’s collar, pulling her upright and grabbing her into a tight hold. Reaching around, I grabbed her chin and forced Chie to look at our surroundings.

Akihiko, Yukiko, Yosuke, Naoto, Teddie, and Koromaru stood in a tight circle around us, worried looks on their face, yet not daring to take a step closer to us. Aigis was standing a bit far back, while behind her Fuuka was crouched over, clutching her head.

At a distance, Narukami, Mitsuru and Labrys was locked in a fierce dance of blades against Sho. Despite the numbers being against him, the punster seemed to be doing quite well, dancing in circles with Tsukuyomi. Every now and then, Sho would dart towards a further corner on the plaza and deliver a few devastating slashes to Kanji before Ken would rush out to force Sho back. Behind them lay the bleeding form of Junpei, and Ken seems to be trying to apply healing magic to his wounds. But Sho’s constant attacks disrupted the boy’s healing so much that he seemed barely able to stabilize Junpei’s condition. Sho’s laughter echoed through the air.

Placing my chin on the shoulder of the trembling girl in my hold, I grinned and muttered into her ear: “See what’s happening? I have you hostage so that the Shadow Operatives don’t dare attack me. Nor can they leave me alone. On that side, Sho seems to be doing quite well of mopping up your other friends. And you know why that happened? Because you had to rush in. Or more correctly, because your bonds were not strong enough.”

“I… no. I was trying to protect Yukiko… I…” The Chariot muttered incoherently.

“That’s the problem now, isn’t it? Did Yukiko need your ‘protecting’? Was it really that hard for you to believe that your friend Yukiko is completely capable of defending herself? Because believe me, they were fending for themselves quite well before you jumped in. But right now, the Shadow Operatives are stuck in this helpless quagmire, because _you_ did not have enough faith in Yukiko. Admit it, Satonaka. You did not trust your best friend to defend herself properly.

“That is why I call your bonds pathetic, because your bonds are not based upon trust and faith in each other’s abilities. With the bonds that you have right now, it would only serve to weaken all of you, because none of you can trust the others to fulfill their appropriate roles. Wouldn’t you agree, given the current circumstances?” As if to emphasize what I just said, Sho slipped past Mitsuru’s guard and sent her flying back with a hard kick. As she landed in a half crouch, the Empress was visibly exhausted, breathing heavily while barely keeping her guard up.

“No….no… How could this….” The girl in my hold sagged, robbed of her will to fight. I grinned to myself.

“I speak nothing but truth… and truth usually hurts. But if we all survive this, perha-” My murmurs were cut short as several floating mechanical orbs suddenly appeared around me. Each of them looked like a tiny satellite, and they were all pointed to me. “What in the-”

“ **Swift Strike**!” With a command that came from a distance, all the orbs rushed and crashed into me. I grunted and swatted the orbs away, releasing Satonaka. In a flash, Yosuke had rushed in and grabbed the Chariot, swiftly pulling her to safety. At the same time, Yukiko snapped her fan at the glowing Tarot card in front of her. Following my instincts, I leaped upwards and took for the sky.

“ **Burning Petals**!” I widened my eyes at the familiar fire lotus that appeared where I was standing.

_Oh not this bullshit again…_ As I complained, I pointed the evoker to my temple and pulled the trigger.

“ **Mabufudyne**!” As the icy shell engulfed me once more, I saw Shirogane hastily summon her shields around the Shadow Operatives. _Glad to see that someone on that team has common sense…_

The giant blast wave instantaneously evaporated my ice shell and sent me flying upwards. I hissed as the steam burned my skin, but still managed to regain my balance with a backflip. Seeing a pillar nearby, I jammed my dagger into the pillar and hung onto it.

Looking down, I saw Yukiko casting healing spells on Satonaka while the rest of the Shadow Operatives started advancing towards the pillar on which I hung. At the side of the group, I saw Rise in front of her Persona, which looked completely different. Several of the satellite orbs floated around her idly. Next to her, Mitsuru was tending to a few large gashes on Kanji’s chest, while Ken finally managed to completely heal Junpei.

“Looking at them. Regrouping like that… I really fuckin’ hate healers…” Sho’s voice came from above. Looking up, I saw the punster crouching at the top of the pillar.

“Kujikawa’s Persona changed. Reckon she’s a wild card or something?” I asked. Sho shook his head.

“Nah, her Persona developed a battle form or something during the P-1 Climax. Still lame at fighting though…” I chuckled in response.

“Well, what now? Kujikawa’s little stunt lost me my hostage, and I got nothing else up my sleeve…”

_‘How can you say that? You got me, right?’_ A familiar voice drawled in the back of my head. I gasped slightly at the voice.

_‘Adachi?’_ No response, but cold energy started flowing out from where Adachi’s voice came from. A fine veil of mist came out from my body, yet I could see through it perfectly. Behind me, I heard the crackle of energy as Sho powered up as well.

“Ahhh…..” The punster sighed, “Feels nice to hear Minazuki’s voice again. Shame that he doesn’t talk as much now…”

“It doesn’t matter.” I turned and looked at Sho with neon-colored eyes. The punster was, for the second time, surrounded by a flaming aura as his eyes and scar glowed bright red. “It only matters that they’re fighting with us now.”

I turned my eyes back onto the Shadow Operatives, who have all stopped and were observing the two of us warily at Rise’s panicked warnings.

“Those fools think they understand bonds…” I stated with a grin, “We’ll teach them exactly how wrong they are.” Sho grunted in acknowledgment.

_Because true bonds… lasts beyond death._


	27. Chapter 27

 

Disclaimer: I only own the OC. Guys, do you really think Atlus would sue me if I don’t write this?

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                “Hahahahahaha!” Sho cackled loudly as he drew his katanas, the blades glowing bright orange. Tensing up, the punster crouched in preparation to attack. I glanced back, holding up a hand in caution at the bloodthirsty punster.

                “Hold it Sho. I know you have Minazuki backing you up, and I have Adachi, but they’ve both been defeated by the Shadow Operatives before. I think…”

                “I think you should go fuck yourself! Hahahahahaha!” With a wild laugh, the punsters launched himself off the top of the pillar, summersaulting over the air and plummeting towards the group of Shadow Operatives below.

                “ **Heat Wave**!” With a shout, Sho jammed both swords into the ground. A wide shockwave crashed out from the point of contact, surging towards the Shadow Operatives. As the attack approached the Shadow Operatives, a familiar voice rang out.

                “Justice is mine! **Shields of Justice**!” I saw the glint of ethereal riot shields materializing in front of all the Shadow Operatives as Shirogane casted her signature spell. I sighed to myself as the Shadow Operatives emerged unharmed from Sho’s powerful attack. At the same moment, multiple summoning auras lighted up the plaza as the Shadow Operatives readied themselves for a counterattack. Sho’s head raised, his expression somewhat alarmed as he tensed his body in preparation to jump out of the way.

                _‘Motherfucker! Does he know nothing about coordination?! Now he’s gonna get his ass kicked and I’ll have to scoop him out of this shit-hole!! I--’_

_“Wait Caius. Look at him.’_ Eubuleus cautioned. Fuming to myself, I quieted down and watched the battle.

                As Sho tensed up, I saw his gaze pass over the group of Shadow Operatives and settled upon Hanamura. In a scarlet flash, the punster had already charged in front of the Magician. Hanamura’s sharp intake of breath was audible from this distance.

                “ **Garudyne**!” Almost by reflex, the Magician unleashed the powerful wind spell that he was charging up beforehand, but Sho rushed right through it, unharmed. Clenching his teeth, Yosuke raised his dual kunai and met Sho head on, matching speed for speed. “Goddammit! Let the winds blow!”

                Soon the two speedsters where locked in fierce combat, both moving so fast that the only time one can tell out their shape was when the two of them clashed. Sho’s laughter was ringing through the plaza, and the rest of the Shadow Operatives paused their spellcasting, with most of them redirecting their attention to me. Chie, Labrys, Teddie and Yukiko stayed focused upon Sho, ready to jump in and lend a hand when (it wasn’t a question of ‘if’) Yosuke falters and needs help.

                I rolled my eyes and clucked my tongue in annoyance before leaping off the pillar I was hanging on, descending towards the Shadow Operatives. As I fell, Narukami waved a hand, and the Shadow Operatives started unloaded all of their spells onto me.

                **Panta Rhei, Brave Blade, Primal Force, Thunder Reign…** I raised an eyebrow at the thundering torrent of spells approached me. Twisting around, I raised a hand and pointed my palm towards the roaring thunder of spells.

                “ **Bewildering Fog**...” I muttered to myself. The veil of fog around me thickened and spread out while a small vortex focused itself on my palm, forming a misty shield. As the Shadow Operative’s attack drew closer, the fog latched onto the spells, dampening their potency. By the time the spells reached the shield in my hands, they were severely weakened to a point where they merely shattered in my palm.

                I landed lightly on the ground, feeling the fog sweep over the plaza, managing to obscure even Sho’s blazing inferno from sight. I blinked a few times as the neon colored lens in my pupils refocused themselves, granting me vision through the fog.

                The Shadow Operatives were standing around, disorientated by their sudden lack of sight. Sho, however was unfazed by it and kept of slashing away at Hanamura, who was only managing to defend himself with the help of Labrys. I frowned at the mechanical maiden.

                _‘How can she still fight if she can’t even see? Wait… the fog of illusion is meant to cloud the human mind. If so, a machine will not be--’_ As my thoughts reached the logical conclusion, I saw the shape of Aigis hurtling towards me. I lifted my Lupara and unloaded both shots into the mechanical maiden, yet the shots barely slowed her advance. Out of sheer instinct, I stepped back right before Aigis brought her fists crashing down on the plaza, shattering the stone tiles.

                “Pallas Athena! **Primal Force**!” At her owner’s command, Pallas Athena materialized in the air, brandishing her spear at my direction. The Persona launched her devastating attack at me the moment my foot hit the ground from the last dodge. _Shit! I can’t dodge!_

                I felt the wind tug at my ear as the powerful spear thrust flew just past my face, destroying one of the pillars behind me. Pallas Athena shook her head confusedly before dematerializing, while I just stared in awe and surprise. Aigis looked just as confused as her Persona did, and momentarily forgot about attacking me.

                _‘How in the world did that miss?’_

_‘She must be part-human, somehow. She does command a Persona after all…’_ Eubuleus commented at the back of my head. I nodded to myself before lifting my shot-gun, taking advantage of Aigis’ momentary shock. Fog swarmed towards the shotgun, charging it with a chilling energy.

                “ **Nebula Oculus**...” At my murmured command, the energy within the gun was released in the form of a giant laser beam. Illuminated by the incoming attack, Aigis’ expression shifted from shock to fear, and finally settled upon determination. The mechanical maiden braced herself for the attack.

                Suddenly a giant figure materialized in front of Aigis, and caught the attack within its hands, straining to control the massive flow of energy within the attack. After a few seconds of struggling, the figure shifted his hands upwards, redirecting the laser beam upwards in a giant flash. After the flash died down, I saw the figure for what it was. A giant demonic humanoid with leathery skin and six giant bat-like wings stood in front of Aigis. But it was breathing heavily as if wounded, and static was sparkling over its body. As the giant let out a final, rattling breath, it dissipated into a shower of sparks.

                “Lucifer… ahh that hurt a lot…” Narukami’s voice rang up from behind me. Looking back, I saw the Fool standing slightly hunched over, a pained look on his face. But his eyes were focused directly on me. He could see me. “You know that’s the reason why I don’t do this often…”

                “Tch, so you can see me as well… What the fuck is this ability worth if both the Fools can see me?!” I complained in annoyance. A tingle went down my spine, and I ducked just in time to dodge a high jump kick from Aigis. The mechanical maiden landed in front of me.

                “My Persona might not be able to detect you, but I will still stop you!” With that declaration, Aigis pointed her gun barrels at me and opened fire. Jumping out of the way, I pointed the Lupara at the mechanical maiden once more, tendrils of fog surging towards the barrel.

                The whistling of a blade caught my attention, and I leveled the shotgun around just in time to parry Narukami’s sword strike. The fool advanced, delivering several more lightning fast strikes that I just barely managed to parry. Quickly drawing my dagger from behind, I caught the blade of Narukami’s katana on the cross guard and rammed the butt of the gun into the Fool’s gut. As Narukami stumbled back, Aigis immediately followed up, delivering several heavy punches and kicks, which I barely managed to dodge. I jumped back a few meters, finally putting some distance between me and the Fools. Fog started flowing into my shotgun as I once more readied my attack.

                * _Shlick*_

A sudden coldness entered my left arm. I instinctively swung the shotgun around and felt it smash into something. Looking around, I saw Mitsuru stumbling back with a bleeding head wound, the tip of her rapier drenched in blood. On my left bicep, a deep stab wound was slowly closing up. Checking around, I noted that the Fog still dominated the plaza.

                _So how did fuck did SHE manage to see me?! The Fog is supposed to confound all the senses!!!_

Before I could make sense of what was happening, Narukami and Aigis was on me once more, delivering a flurry of coordinated strikes towards me. Back flipping quickly out of the way, I landed heavily on the ground and stomped the floor as hard as I could.

                **Quake.** A slight tremor ran through the ground, knocking over both of the Fools and giving me an opportunity to retreat further. As I landed, the heavy sound of footsteps could be heard from my right, and I side stepped just in time to see several punches fly through thin air as Akihiko charged past me. Backing up a few steps, I raised an eyebrow as I noticed something:

                The Boxer’s eyes were unfocused. It was as if he can’t even see me. After rushing past me, Akihiko paused, shifting left and right as if unsure where to go. Then, he spun around and swung a hook at me, missing by a large margin. I frowned to myself.

                _That was way too amateur a mistake for Akihiko…_

As I mused to myself I delivered a fast kick to the boxer’s leg, sending him down to one knee before a burst of machine gun fire drove me away from the boxer. As I jumped out of the way, I ran towards a pillar and scaled it nearly to the top, jamming the dagger into the pillar as a hand hold. Fog fused into my shotgun, finally charging up my attack.

                “About time! **Nebula Oculus**!!!”  At my command, the giant laser beam blasted out of my shotgun and swept across the Shadow Operatives. At the same time a certain pint-sized detective shattered a glowing card in front of her.

                “ **Shields of Justice**!” Once more the Shadow Operatives came out unscathed from my attack, but the sudden surge of energy seemed to disorientate most of the Shadow Operatives fighting Sho except for Labrys, who only flinched. Laughing out loud, the punsters delivered several quick slashes, quickly incapacitating Yosuke, Chie, and Kanji before the mechanical maiden recovered.

                “Goddammit! Ya not gettin’ away!” With a vicious cry, Labrys raised her left arm, launching a rocket powered fist towards the punster. As Sho laughed, his swords glowing bright orange, as he side stepped the punch.

                “ **Flare Slash**!” In a crimson slash, the thick chain connecting Labrys’ arm to her elbow was severed. Cackling loudly, Sho sprinted towards Labrys, swords flashing. “Looks like someone needs to weld the tin can back together! Hahahahaha!”

                “Sister!” With a startled cry, Aigis spun on her heels and started sprinting towards Sho, spraying out machine gun fire from her fingertips and forcing the punster to abandon his attack on Labrys and focus on her instead. Narukami remained focused upon me, a wary look in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed the other Shadow Operatives on our half of the plaza slowly turning in my direction, all of them having an unfocused look in their eyes.

                _‘This is fuckin’ creepy. Why is the Fog not working on them? And why the fuck are their eyes like that? What is this, a zombie apocalypse movie?!’_

_‘I think the Fog is working just fine on them. It seems to be obscuring their senses to a high degree.’_ Eubuleus commented. _‘Look at the gates.’_ Following Eubuleus’ mental line of thought, I looked over and saw Rise and Fuuka standing near the gates with their combined Personas. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I allowed the camera lens to adjust within themselves, fighting the urge to scratch the itch as my pupils rotated within themselves. When I looked again, I saw faint lines of energy stretched out between the two Fools and the sensors, which were then spread out between the other members of the Shadow Operatives.

                _‘What in the world…’_

_‘You want to know what I think, Caius? I think that apart from the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons and Narukami, the rest of the Shadow Operatives are completely blinded by the Fog. But the sensors can still feel each of the team members and access their psyche…’_

_‘So that they can transmit what Aigis, Labrys, and Narkami are seeing directly into the minds of the other Shadow Operatives?’_

_‘Yeah… So that would explain the zombie-like way they are moving. They know where you are, but their senses are disabled and hence they cannot rely on their combat reflexes. That would explain why they’re so zombie-like… I mean, they’re deducing your position relative to them through the eyes of another. That’s gotta be a lot of stuff to process…’_

_‘Huh. You gotta give them credit thought, they seem to work together well… Unlike some others…’_ I narrowed my eyes at Sho, who was still cackling and bouncing around, dodging the shower of bullets that Aigis was firing at him. At the side, Yukiko was busy casting a healing spell on Labrys. _‘And now his brief advantage is going up in smoke. Dammit! Why can’t he fucking follow a plan and coordinate his attacks with me?!!’_

                _‘That’s not necessary, now isn’t it?’_ A different voice that did not belong to Eubuleus rang out from above me. I glanced up, startled, and my jaws dropped. As I stared at him like a gaping idiot, Adachi was casually sitting on top of the pillar, propping his head up with one arm and looking bored out of his wits.

                _‘Close your mouth. It’s unbecoming and idiotic, since you’re the only one seeing this.’_ Adachi sneered at me, and I noticed that his voice was coming from the back of my head where Eubuleus usually resides. I also noticed that the figure sitting casually in front of me was semi-transparent.

                _‘You’re not actually here aren’t you?’_ I asked cautiously.

                _‘Nope. You’re just hearing voices in your head, but what’s new, eh?’_ Adachi shrugged ever so slightly. _‘But back to my original point, why is it necessary for Sho to coordinate his attacks with you? Aren’t you supposed to be the brains of the team?’_

_‘Yeah, that’s what I’m--’_ Adachi lifted a hand to silence me before I could continue.

                _‘Look Caius. Just look at Sho while he fights.’_ Following Adachi’s advice, I looked at the punster. He was cackling madly, jumping left and right while his blades formed an impregnable wall around him, deflecting the attacks from Aigis and Labrys. Every now and then, he would slash at one of the Shadow Operatives, who would barely dodge the attack before being saved by the mechanical maidens. _‘See? He’s facing half the Shadow Operative forces, yet he’s still keeping them busy.’_ The former detective leaned down until his head was almost at my ear.

                _‘Let’s face it shall we? The idiotic kid is much better than you when it comes to sheer martial abilities. You don’t have to coordinate with him! He’s an idiot when it comes to tactics! Just look at him, and formulate an attack plan around him. And trust him to do his part better than anyone else ever could…’_ Adachi’s voice muttered into my ear. I nodded and grinned to myself.

                _‘Yeah… thanks bro…’_

_‘After all this time you still need me cleaning up after you…’_ With a long sigh, Adachi leant back, his body slowly fading away. _‘What a pain…’_ With a final sigh, the detective vanished completely. I chuckled at the familiarity of our exchange, before focusing once more on the battle in front of me.

                The roar of machine gun fire had just died down, and Aigis was shaking her arms mechanically, ejecting the spent magazines and replacing them with new ones. Sho, seeing the moment of opportunity, leapt into the air and rushed towards the nearest Shadow Operative, in this case Yukari. Takeba’s eyes were unfocused, but she seemed to get the memo that she was in danger, and held her bow up in a defensive position while quickly backtracking, creating distance between her and the charging punster. Near her, Labrys hefted her axe and crouched, preparing to intercept Sho. I eyes widened at the opportunity.

                _NOW!!_ Pulling hard on the pillar, I back-flipped my way up to the top, landing in a low crouch on the top of the pillar. As I landed, I smashed the butt of the Lupara onto the top of the pillar.

                **Quake**.

A tremor ran down the length of the pillar, shaking the whole plaza. I smirked to myself.

_Huh, without Ameno-Sagiri’s mass, the damage of this is negligible… but it should still get the job done…_

Sure enough, many of the Shadow Operatives, including Yukari and Labrys, tripped and stumbled as the tremor reached them. Sho, who was airborne at the time, was unaffected and continued his charge like normal. I saw Narukami’s gaze turn back to see Yukari stumbling around as Sho drew closer. Aigis was too far away to help, and Labrys was busy regaining her footings. The gray-haired Fool started turning around, a glowing tarot card descending into his out stretched hand.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!!!” With a savage cry, I launched myself off the top of the pillar and charged at Narukami, blade flashing. The Fool was forced to turn around and parry my strikes, the tarot card vanishing as his concentration was broken. I glared at Narukami in the eye, my mouth twisted in a maniacal smile. “Your opponent is me, Narukami!”

As our blades crashed, another familiar voice cried out from the Fog:

“ **Shields of Justice**!” Sho’s frustrated snarls was mixed within a general sigh of relief amongst the Shadow Operatives. Machine gun fire resumed again as Aigis finished reloading and started forcing Sho away from Takeba.

“Good job Naoto…” As we traded blows, Narukami muttered to himself, almost brimming with pride. I smiled at the Fool’s naivety.

“A good job indeed… but do you remember what happened the last time Shirogane had to use that spell multiple times?” The Fool’s eyes widened as we both remembered the dreaded day.

                _“ **Shields of Justice**!” Among the loud explosions caused by the clashing of spells, a shriek was heard. After the dust settled, Shirogane was on the ground, clutching her head and trembling. _

_“NAOTO!” Narukami quickly rushed to Shirogane’s side and picked up the pint-size detective, carrying her away from the front lines._

                “So how long can she keep this up, Narukami? How long before she falls? And how long after that before all your poor, blind friends are cut down by Sho?” I taunted the Fool as I ducked and weaved through his attacks. “You know, in my hands ‘Quake’ is a minor spell with almost no potency, but that also means that I can dish out an almost limitless amount instantaneously… can you say the same for her ‘Shields of Justice’?” As Narukami’s face paled, Aigis’ machine gun fire from a distance died down. Without turning to look for Sho, I parried a few more strikes from Narukami and brought my left foot down onto the floor hard.

                _Here’s hoping that Sho manages to catch up on the tip…_

**Quake**. A tremor ran along the floor from where my foot landed, causing the gray haired Fool in front of me to stumble. Taking advantage of the Fool’s disorientation, I lifted my other leg and threw a heavy kick at Narukami’s stomach, sending him flying backwards. As the Fog rolled around me, I heard Sho’s voice from a distance, mixed together with a cry from Shirogane.

                “ **Flare Slash**!”

                “ **Shields of Justice**!” The detective’s voice was desperate at this point. A powerful clash resounded through the Fog, and then the machine gun fire resumed. I grinned maniacally at Narukami in front of me.

                “Not bad…. Was this the fourth or fifth time she used that ability today?! She’s definitely improved. But how much longer do you think she can keep this up, Narukami?! Once more? Twice more? Ten more times?

“And when she falls, then what? Aigis’ Personas are blinded, you are busy dealing with me, Labrys is not strong enough to face the full might of Sho, and the rest of your friends are deaf and blind, desperately trying to process data that their poor little brains can’t handle. What will you do now, Wild Card?” I asked the crouching Fool, the Fog of Illusion swirling around my body like a cape.

                “It will never come to that….” The Fool muttered through clenched teeth. He started standing up, a single glowing tarot card descending towards him. Narrowing my eyes, I identified the card as the card for the World Arcana. “I will not allow it! Come, Izanagi-no-Okami!” My eyes widened as Narukami summoned his ultimate Persona.

                _What is—What the fuck??!!_

It was a figure resembling Magatsu-Izanagi, only clad in a pure white coat and armor lined with gold. As I held up a hand to shield my eyes from the massive burst of energy, I noticed that half of the Shadow Operatives were glowing, a different tarot card upon each’s head. From each tarot card a flow of energy came out, fusing together into a massive torrent which flowed into Narukami’s Persona.

                “No matter how much logic you can put behind your actions… no matter how justified you think you are… you will not hurt my friends anymore… The Shadow Operatives will not allow it. _**I**_ will not allow it…” As Narukami declared, a massive flow of power rushed out from Izanagi-no-Okami. To my intense shock, the Fog peeled back as the glow of the powerful Persona touched upon it, and the Shadow Operative’s eyes lit up with sight once more. “Behold! The Truth!!!”

                “Dammit… My Fog…!” I muttered angrily to myself as the plaza cleared up entirely. The only sliver of Fog left was the veil that engulfed my body. At the other side of the plaza, Aigis smiled and threw her head back.

                “Thank god the fog has cleared… Messiah!!” A huge mechanical figure appeared, carrying a huge white pillar on its back and several coffins wrapped around its arms with chains. At the same time, the other half of the Shadow Operatives glowed slightly before pooling a massive amount of power into the Persona in front of Aigis. I widened my eyes at the sight, my misty aura doing nothing to dull the brilliance of the Messiah.

                _There’s two of them?! Jesus Christ, how fucked are we?_

At the other end of the plaza, Sho was looking at Aigis and Narukami nervously, his raging aura barely a speck compared to the two godly Personas that stood in front of us.

                Narukami faced me squarely as Aigis turned to face Sho. Messiah and Izanagi-no-Okami stook back to back in the middle of the plaza and both held up one hand. A giant ball of almighty energy began gathering in the palms of the two Personas. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as the ball of energy just got larger and larger.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” I dropped to my knees and started laughing uncontrollably, because at this point what else is there to do?

                “ **Dance of Fools**!” At the command of the Wild Cards, the massive globe of energy descended upon us, promising to blind out existence itself….

               

               


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: This disclaimer know nothing about what I do or do not own. I also only own the OC.

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                My eyes widened and the pupils rotated within themselves as they struggled to register the vast amount of energy headed towards me.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” As laughter rolled out uncontrollably from my mouth, I relaxed and closed my eyes. Even through my eyelids the flare of the attack glared through. After I exhausted my breath, I leant backwards and relaxed. A single teardrop rolled down my face as I breathed out.

                _Takaya…. Jin…. Chidori….Adachi… I’m sorry, I can’t live for you all anymore… And Elizabeth, seems like I won’t be able to fulfill your untold contract after all…_ Cracking an eyelid, I looked warily at the massive ball of energy that would be my death. _So this is the power of the Wild Card, eh? I have to admit, dying in this fashion is kind of… magnificent…._

                I closed my eyes once more, waiting for the end to come. The light slightly burned my eyes through my eyelids as the brightness intensified.

                A shadow passed in front of me, and the brightness suddenly dimmed down. A giant roar was heard around me, and I opened my eyes just in time to see a huge shadowy figure stand above the plaza, shielding Sho and I from the powerful attack. As the figure and the attack connected, a huge shockwave rolled out from the point of contact.

                _What?!_ I lifted my arms in front of my face as the shockwave washed over me, throwing me back with the force of a cannonball. My back slammed against one of the pillars and I gagged, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The Space Badge on my hoodie glowed, and I felt an irritating itch as my organs healed themselves.

                As the dust slowly died down, I saw that all of the Shadow Operatives, including Narukami and Aigis, were in a state of disarray. Taking the chance, I quickly loaded my shotgun with two marked shot while standing up. A humanoid figure was floating in the middle of the plaza. And the other end of the plaza, Sho was also struggling up. I caught his eye and we nodded to each other once before sinking into our fight stances.

                As the dust settled down, I did a double take as I observed the figure floating in the middle of plaza. The figure was wrapped in a WWII era trench coat with a military cap adorning his head. He lifted a hand to slightly lift the cap rim from his face, revealing a heavily bandaged face. The loose bandage stripes flowed freely around floating figure.

                _Grandmaster?! The fuck is he doing here?!_

By now the Shadow Operatives have recovered, and are all regarding Grandmaster warily. Bits and pieces of Shadow remains were littered around the plaza as all of us stood there in tense silence. Grandmaster’s head turned left and right as he surveyed the whole area.

                “That was quite an impressive display of might from your Wild Cards, Shadow Operatives. I commend you all for having strong enough bonds to channel such power. While I’m sure that the Wild Cards were the ones that were responsible for the creation and maintenance of your respective social links, all of your contributions to it should not be dismissed.” Grandmaster’s voice drifted out under the multiple layers of bandages. Narukami and Aigis tensed at the word ‘social link’. I raised an eyebrow at their reactions, and snapped to attention as Grandmaster’s gaze moved past Sho and focused upon me.

                “I applaud you two as well, Caius Gevauden and Sho Minazuki, for managing to hold off such mighty foe for such an extended amount of time. While you two do possess powers that normal Persona-users can only dream of, a Wild Card is not to be trifled with easily, not to mention two Wild Cards at the same time…” I furrowed my brow at his clear, polite tone.

                _Is he not in the slightest bit annoyed that we didn’t fulfill our mission?! This guy is just way too detached from what is considered ‘human’…_ Masking my unease, I stepped forward and bowed slightly at Grandmaster’s direction.

                “Thank you for your compliment, Grandmaster. However, might I ask why you are here?” Motioning towards the Shadow Operatives who were still standing tensely around the plaza, I cracked a small grin which did not reach my eyes. “After all, if you had planned to charge into the front lines, what’s the meaning of hiring Sho and I?”

                “Well, I had to finish up some delicate business right before this.” The Grandmaster’s voice hinted at a trace of amusement. “And even now… I’m just here to retrieve something.” I frowned a bit at his response, a sudden surge of unease hitting me full in the face.

                _Why… why am I getting this sense of unease? Why….?_ The clicking of heels drew me out of my contemplations, and I lifted my head as Mitsuru drew near.

“I assume you are the one that hired Caius and instructed him to commit all those crimes.” The Empress pointed the tip of her rapier at Grandmaster. “In that case, I will have to ask that you come with us. In the name of the Shadow Operatives, you are under arrest. You can come with us quietly, or we can take you by force.”

                “Kirijo-san, isn’t it?” A hint of surprise and amusement emitted from Grandmaster’s otherwise emotionless voice. “Your laws does not apply to me, for I am not human, plant, animal, or anything else that your human lawmakers can ever conceive of. As such, won’t it be obvious that since I was never granted rights by your laws, it should also apply that I should not be restricted by your laws? Or will you blindly impose your values upon a being who was never even conceived of in the writing of your laws?” Kirijo’s knuckle whitened as she tightened her grip upon her rapier. Ignoring the Empress, Grandmaster turned away his gaze and started staring into the emptiness once more.

                “As for what I’m here to retrieve… well, since all of you were so kind to force them out and wear them down… I will be retrieving the Shadow Gods, Ameno Sagiri and Hi-no-Kagutsuchi…” With that proclamation, Grandmaster’s hands shot up, one pointing at Sho and one pointing at me, both hands twisted into the shape of claws. My eyes widened for a second before I crumbled to the floor, clutching my head. On the other side of the plaza, Sho did the same.

                A force rushed into my mind, twisting as a knife as it searched for its query. I clenched my teeth and arched my back upwards as I tried to deal with the pain. The force drove its way to the back of my head, digging its claws into a part of my mind and started to drag it out. Cracking an eyelid open, I saw my aura of mist flowing outwards and forming in front of me in a misty silhouette of Eubuleus. On the other side of the plaza, Sho was crouched down, snarling and swearing at the top of his lungs, a fiery figure materializing in front of him.

                _This feels all too familiar…_ Clenching me teeth, I emptied my mind of all thought and reached out to the Lupara that was dropped next to me. Eubuleus’ presence slowly exited my mind as I lifted the shotgun at the figure of Grandmaster.

                _‘Hang in there buddy… just a little longer….’_ As I prayed for Eubuleus, I pulled down both triggers of my shotgun.

                **Megido Gem.**

                “What--?” Grandmaster’s voice registered shock as two circles of almighty energy focused upon him. His figure disappeared in a swirl of cloth before reappearing at the side of the plaza, narrowly avoiding the blasts of almighty energy. The force invading my mind disappeared in a flash and I collapsed, panting.

                “I guess… that… terminates our contract….” Fumbling with my shotgun, I managed to reload it as I slowly stood up. “And that also made me realize… that I’ve felt that pain before… Tell me something Grandmaster… How did Project Prometheus acquire your methods of Persona extraction? Because the pain is nearly identical…”

                “I taught them. How else?” Grandmaster replied calmly. “But human minds are so feeble, even the best of them can only slightly comprehend the workings of Persona extraction. Only Matsumoto understood the basic premises, and even that took him such a long time…” Shrugging nonchalantly, Grandmaster returned his attention upon me. My eyes widened with rage as Matsumoto’s voice rang through my mind.

                _“Oh. My. God. No wonder he told me to target Adachi! It’s… it’s beautiful! To think that one unworthy as I can behold a god… It’s unbelievable… Power enough to dwarf all the Shadows and Persona I have studied… It is perfection itself! I MUST HAVE ONE!”_

_So he’s the one who instructed Matsumoto to attack Adachi… The one who is directly responsible for Adachi’s death…_

“I am intrigued though. The pain of Persona extraction should incapacitate even the hardiest of humans. Even with Ameno-Sagiri as your power source, you should not have been able to resist it. You, Caius Gevauden, is very intriguing indeed…”

“Hehehe… You’re only surprised since you don’t keep track of what all your subordinates do.” Crouching down, I drew my dagger as my body tensed in preparation. “After a whole week of being tortured by the shoddy techniques of imperfect Persona extraction… Do you still thing that your ‘refined’ techniques even register as PAIN??!!” With an inhuman howl, I broke out in a sprint towards Grandmaster.

_Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, KILL,KILL, KILL, KILL!!!!!_   My eyes narrowed as I rushed towards the single being that was responsible for all my sufferings since the day I first met Watanabe. Red came over my line of sight and a slight air tunnel effect started surrounding my line of sight. Grandmaster stood in front of me impassively, further fueling my rage with his lack of reaction.

“Idiot…” A familiar yet alien voice whispered at my ear, causing me to pause for a second. Suddenly a figure flew out of nowhere and jammed both feet into my ribs with a flying sidekick, sending me flying. Snarling at the pain, I curled into a ball and rolled on the ground. Throwing out a leg, I halted my movement, raising my head to see who attacked me. As I beheld the figure standing in front of me, the snarl caught in my throat and I froze in shock.

The figure was tall and lanky, wearing a purple hoodie and jeans. Brown hiking boots covered his legs while he twirled an evoker between his hands. The hood was pulled up to cover his head of messy black hair, under which a pale face with glowing yellow eyes stared at me mockingly. Barring the eye color, it was the face I saw in the mirror every day.

“Can’t have you attack an eldritch abomination right now, right? If you croak prematurely, we’re both fucked, aren’t we?” My doppelganger drawled in a mocking voice. Noticing my surprise, the Shadow laughed piercingly. “What? Did you really believe that you didn’t have any hidden issues that can be exploited by this world?! Grandmaster was the only reason I stayed dormant, man! And now with that little falling out between you two, you can’t honestly expect me to just stay down out of the goodness of my heart, right?”

Without warning, my doppelganger suddenly did a backflip. At the spot where he used to stand several wisps of dust consolidated into a claw and snapped together in a pop of air. As the Shadow landed, the two of us glanced towards Grandmaster, who had one hand raised in fist form.

“I guess that this means I’m under fire now…. Well this is annoying. I just came out!” My Shadow muttered to himself, while I slowly scrambled back to my feet. As Grandmaster raised his hands again, my Shadow chuckled to himself. “Well I guess each man for themselves then. I suppose you can take care of yourself, right? After all, you are me.” Back flipping a few more times to avoid Grandmaster’s grasp, my Shadow let out a final laugh he summoned a thick veil of fog which engulfed him. As the fog dispersed, the Shadow was gone.

Tearing my eyes away from the spot where my Shadow escaped, I glared warily at Grandmaster’s floating figure. The back of my head was oddly empty, replaced with a sense of hollowness that I haven’t experienced in 13 years. Only a faint mental tug in the direction of my doppelganger shows that there ever was a second consciousness within me.

“That’s irritating…” Grandmaster’s voice was just as flat as ever. “Now I would have to hunt down that single needle with a haystack of Shadows. Or… I could just kill you right now, and your Shadow would lose its ego and become much easier to find and harvest...” I tensed as Grandmaster reached towards me, but I knew that without a Persona I couldn’t even evade his attacks.

“ **Nifheim**!” A giant ice pillar rushed towards Grandmaster only to shatter at his touch. Its caster, Mitsuru, walked up next to me. “Unfortunately, Gevauden is a criminal bound by the laws of humans, so only human courts has the right to decide his fate. The same can be stated for Sho.”

Grandmaster stood in silence for a while as the Shadow Operatives surrounded him, with Narukami and Aigis at the point. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yukiko standing in front of the unconscious figure of Sho. Mitsuru also took a stance in front of me.

“We may be enemies, Caius, but that doesn’t mean we’ll just let you die. That’s how we’re different from you.” Misturu muttered towards me. I smirked sadly.

“That’s why you’re a fool Kirijo-san. As you no doubt know, Grandmaster is too powerful even for your Wild Cards. A wise leader would retreat and leave me to my fate. By trying to save a sinner like me, you’re risking your team pointlessly, Kirijo-san.” As Kirijo opened her mouth to argue once more, a small tremor ran through the ground, causing her to spin around and stare wide-eyed at Grandmaster.

There was no wind, but Grandmaster’s coat and bandages were flowing around him, crackling as though a giant gust was blowing through the plaza. The crackling of the trench coat within the unfelt gust can be heard throughout the plaza, while Rise and Fuuka’s voice rang up simultaneously.

“Careful everyone, we’re getting a really bad--”

“ **…** ” Before the sensors can finish their warning, Grandmaster lifted his head and his eyes flashed scarlet briefly. A small tremor ran through the ground as a faint shimmer in the air emitted from Grandmaster, his incantation barely a louder than the whisper of leaves on a tree.

“On guard!!!” At Mitsuru’s command, all the Shadow Operatives adopted a defensive stance with their weapons. Misturu took a step forward and raised her rapier in front of her, watching Narukami, who was at the very front, tensely.

Narukami had his katana lifted in preparation as the faint aura approached him. A faint blue glow engulfed him as the World Arcana card descended upon the gray haired Fool, and Izanagi no-Okami materialized in front of him, holding his lance in a guard position. As the faint shimmer in the air drew closer, the lance in the Persona’s hand started rotating, and energy started gathering within the palms of the God-like Persona. Narukami’s hair and clothes were ruffling as power emitted from him.

“ **Megi--** ” Suddenly the Fool’s voice was cut short. Instead, he was staring in front of him, shock emitting from his whole body. The ball of almighty energy in front of Izanagi no- Okami had just came into contact with Grandmaster’s aura, and had just dissipated. Next the aura touched on Narukami’s Persona, and the mighty Persona started dematerializing by itself. Narukami started backtracking, his head turning back towards the Shadow Operatives, his eyes a mixture of confusion, shock, and fear. But the aura soon brushed against his hand, and his eyes soon turned dull. The Fool collapsed on his knees, looking positively bored with the world.

“What the-?” Mitsuru seemed too shocked to react, but Grandmaster’s aura did not relent.

As the aura expanded at a surprising speed, it engulfed the Shadow Operatives one by one. Everyone touched by the aura merely stopped in their tracks, no matter if they were trying to attack, defend, or escape. They simply stopped, the light in their eyes dulling, and dropped down onto their hands and knees. Behind us, I could hear Rise and Fuuka crying out in shock and fear every time a Shadow Operative fell.

By the time Mitsuru had recovered from the shock of her whole team being neutralized, the shimmering aura had already reached her. As the wispy aura was about to engulf the Empress, she turned around as if to escape, and we briefly locked eyes. I chuckled in resignation.

“Tell me Kirijo-san, was your ideology and my sinful life really worth this consequence?” I asked sadly as the aura engulfed the Empress and her eyes dulled just like all the others. As she collapsed, the aura stopped right in front of me before dissipating. Behind me, I heard two more bodies hitting the ground, and turned around to see Fuuka and Rise both kneeling on the ground, bored looks in their eyes.

_Of course… as the center of the communication hub, makes sense that whatever wipes out the Shadow Ops would get to them as well…_

“Not quite at my full power yet…” Grandmaster’s idly commented as he floated closer to me. As he approached me, I felt a dull ache start at the back of my head. “But it was enough to serve my purposes. Now, where were we?”

“I believe this is the part where you kill me.” I commented with a sad smile, trying to ignore the increasing headache at the back of my head. I sighed, and lean sat up cross-legged, facing my employer and enemy. Grandmaster paused and looked at me as if in surprise.

“Well you seemed to have turned around quite fast. Last I noticed, you were screaming for my head.”

“Last you noticed, I could still match half the Shadow Ops blow for blow. Now? I just lost my Persona. I have nothing, not even my physical abilities, that can even the playing ground for me. What’s the meaning in attacking at this point?” I shrugged, and then smirked at Grandmaster, wincing at the intensifying pain at the back of my head. “At least if I die, I can haunt you as a ghost for all eternity. Now do it, before I lose my composure.” Grandmaster nodded solemnly as he lifted a hand towards me. Dropping my head, I pulled my hood over my head with a trembling hand, maintaining a frozen smirk on my face as tears started leaking down my face.

_Ahh… after such a long time of killing and losing… so I’ll finally join you all now, Father, Mother, Strega, Adachi… Such a shame though, for Sho to die alongside me… he hasn’t even found Minazuki yet. And Elizabeth would have to find another merc for her contract…_

At the thought of Elizabeth’s name, if was as if she was next to me once more, sharing a drink in Saitou’s bar or under the Green Moon. Her tinkling laugh resounded through my ears once more.

In front of me, Grandmasters paused for a moment, looking at something behind me. I just took a deep breath and waited for the moment to come for my death. It kinda helped that my headache was getting almost unbearable.

_What is he waiting for?! Do it!_

“My, my, my… what do we find here? Such an intriguing aftermath… Although if you ask me, a bit of lightning is needed, so here’s some lightning!” An unmistakable voice rang up, and Grandmaster almost teleported back to avoid a blast of lightning that struck directly where he was standing. Gritting my teeth at the pain, I twisted around and beheld Elizabeth strolling towards me, Thanatos floating slowly behind her.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting one of Philemon’s Avatars of Power?” Grandmaster asked politely. Elizabeth let out a tinkling laugh in response. As she walked closer to me, her hand floated up almost absent-mindedly and drew down my hood, ruffling my hair in the process.

“Unfortunately, Grandmaster, I cannot allow you to kill this one. He has intrigued me for a long time, and I am far too interested in his path to allow him to die now.” Hefting her grimoire, Elizabeth winked playfully at Grandmaster. “And plus, our goals and interests are in direct conflict with each other, so I really couldn’t just stand by and allow you to just do as you wish, right?”

“ **...** ” The Grandmaster remained silent, but his coat and bandages started flapping once more as power surged through him. Elizabeth pouted and lifted a hand.

“Such parlor tricks can get stuffed! Presenting our grand finale! **Megidolaon**!” A giant ball of almighty energy, much larger than that summoned by Narukami and Aigis, formed above Grandmaster. The bandaged figure looked up at the attack in mild surprise as it started descending upon him.

                “Impressive…” Grandmaster’s praise was barely a whisper before a giant shadowy beast erupted from underneath him. Before I could get a good look at the colossal Shadow, it had engulfed Grandmaster right before Elizabeth’s attack struck him. A giant explosion filled the air with dust as a roar sent tremors through the ground. By the time the dust settled, Grandmaster was nowhere to be seen.

                “Tch, he got away…” Elizabeth muttered to herself, sounding mildly annoyed. I breathed in relief before toppling over, clutching my head in pain as the intense headache became too much to bear. I felt Elizabeth kneel down next to me and reached a hand towards my temple. Looking out of the corner of my eye at the silver-haired elevator attendant, I grabbed her hand, stopping it from reaching my head.

                “Sho… Shadow Ops… are they…” I gasped out. The attendant shook her head, smiling.

                “No, they’re not dead. They are merely knocked out. A powerful spell by the Grandmaster, and the workings of it are intriguing as well. But nothing that cannot be recovered from, since the caster wasn’t at full power.” I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

                “G-good…” I released my grasp on her hand, and Elizabeth placed her hand on my temples and moved them over my eyes, closing them. A warm energy emitted from her palm, and the pain of my headache faded.

                “Now rest. Currently you have no Persona and would pass out in the TV world. You need your strength for the next task.” Elizabeth commanded, the playfulness in her voice softening the stern command. I let out a final chuckle before unconsciousness claimed me.

                _Seems like I’ll manage to make that contract after all…_

* * *

 

When I woke up, I spent several minutes blinking blearily at the lamps above me. It took me a while to notice that I was in a bed, and that I was wearing a set of pajamas that did not belong to me. Instinctively keeping quiet to avoid drawing attention to myself, I gazed around warily at my surroundings.

                _‘Yo, Eubuleus, have any idea where I am?’_ I asked absent mindedly before realizing that Eubuleus was gone. He was a Shadow now, roaming in the TV World with Grandmaster hot on his heels. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to come out.

                “You miss him don’t you?”  Opening my eyes, I looked towards the source of the voice. Sho was sitting on a bed next to mine, looking at me with calm eyes. I took a deep breath to relax myself before sitting up and facing the punster.

                “Sho? Huh, glad you’re okay. Grandmaster didn’t get Tsukuyomi, right?” Sho raised an eyebrow at my statement.

                “Sho? Ohhh… so you’re familiar with him… that would explain all the memories then.” The red-haired youth shook his head with a light chuckle. “He never figured out how to arrange his memories right. Such a mess now…” I frowned in confusion at his words.

                _What?! What is he talking about….?_

“Oh, I notice that you seem quite confused. I guess we should start with self-introductions.” The red haired youth sat up straight and turned around so that he faced me squarely. “My name is Minazuki. Sho Minazuki.”


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I only own the OC

* * *

 

                I gaped at Sho, or to be more accurate, Minazuki for a few minutes before managing to regain my composure. The red haired youth looked at me calmly for the duration, an amused glint shining in his eyes. After taking a few deep breathes, I closed my mouth and addressed Minazuki.

                “Where’s Sho? As far as I know, he’s been working for your return since your disappearance, so I kinda want to see his face now just to see him idiotically happy for once.” The red haired youth sighed once before answering.

                “Well… Unfortunately Sho is not here at the moment. The attack from Grandmaster has somewhat… unsettled him and his consciousness is still deep in shock. The last time something like this happened I was the personality in charge, and thus I took the brunt of the hit. This time, however… Well, you know what happened.” Minazuki grimaced, his face full of guilt. I frowned.

                “Okay… So why are you in charge now? I thought you were so weakened that you cannot even regularly communicate with Sho, only dropping a few one-liners right before he draws on the power of Hi-no-Katgusuchi.” The red haired youth chuckled to himself before answering.

“Well, the answer to that requires a somewhat more extensive information on how I was created…” Minazuki paused for a second, as if in contemplation, before continuing. “Well, I suppose you are the closest thing to a friend that Sho has, and if anyone were to have a somewhat comprehensive knowledge of how the dynamics between the two of us work, it might as well be you. Once I’m gone again, you’d be the only one at his side.”

“Wha-?” I opened my mouth to ask what he meant by the last part of his sentence, but Minazuki lifted a hand and I closed my mouth, waiting for the red haired youth to elaborate.

“All would be explained in time. As you most likely have deduced by now, my existence as a second personality to Sho is not the result of MPD, or any other mental anomaly that is defined by your psychologists. My existence stems from this.” Pulling his hospital shirt down, I raised an eyebrow as I saw a blood red crystal, roughly the size of a fist, embedded in his solar plexus.

                “That’s…. I’ve seen stuff like this, but never this extensive…” I muttered. All the members of Strega had operation scars on their solar plexus, exactly where the crystal now protruded from Minazuki’s chest. If you pressed down there, you can even feel the edges of the crystal shard. But despite all that, the crystal was still implanted within their bodies, not sticking out halfway. Minazuki smiled understandingly.

                “Yes, shocking isn’t it? Sho almost ripped it out in a fit of shock and fear right after the surgery. His expression after I talked to him for the first time, telling him not to remove the Plume of Dusk, was priceless.” Minazuki chuckled at the memory before his face fell again. “My point is, my existence as an alternate personality for Sho was the result of lingering shock of the operation. When it comes down to it, I should be the personality of Tsukuyomi and in a much more subservient position in comparison to Sho’s personality. But of course, things did not happen that way. Sho was too young when I first appeared, and I, being a personality born from a full Plume of Dusk, was too strong. No altercation happened between us, but Sho perceived me as a guardian angel of sorts and automatically granted me an abundance of power, a role which I welcomed and relished.

                “After Hi-no-Katgusuchi’s possession, it was as though a reset button was pressed. I was acting as a buffer between Sho and Hi-no-Katgusuchi, and the vast amount of power rushing though me placed me in a recessive state, returning full power over the physical body back to Sho. I believe some residue of this power is responsible for Sho’s ability to infuse himself with the powers of Hi-no-Katgusuchi. However, since Sho has always communicated with me as equal personalities, he has almost no idea to communicate with a Persona.” Minazuki let out a strained smile, and I can see deep sadness and isolation hidden in his eyes.

“I can see what he’s doing and hear what he’s saying, yet no matter how much I try I can’t get him to be able to hear me. I discovered recently that by infusing Sho with Hi-no-Katgutsuchi’s powers, I can briefly make him hear me for a sentence or two before I get completely preoccupied with regulating the massive flow of energy to prevent his body from breaking down. But that’s it.” Minazuki leant back, letting out a sad sigh. “Right now I’m in control of this body because Grandmaster’s attack has rendered Sho comatose for a week or so. But once Sho recovers, he’s regaining control because he’s the natural owner of this body after all, and that’s the way it should be.”

“So you’ll be with us for a week or so?” I asked, still trying to completely digest all of what Minazuki told me. The red haired youth nodded silently. I smiled at his sad expression. “What are you so down for? You got your deal out right?”

“What?” Minazuki stared at me for a moment with shock. I smirked.

“Well, we now know why you disappeared, and how Sho can find you again. Granted, it won’t be an easy path for either of you, but if something is easy to accomplish, it probably isn’t even worth the meagre effort placed into it.” Standing up from my bed, I noted with pleasant surprise that there wasn’t any physical restraints placed upon me. I walked over to Minazuki’s bed and offered an open hand to the red haired youth.

“I can’t promise any results, but I can promise that I’ll at least tell Sho the nature of his disconnection with you, and try to help him figure out how to communicate with you on a normal basis. After all, I do consider him as a brother-in-arms, perhaps more literally than most people who use that term.” Minazuki looked at my outstretched hand for a minute or two before reaching out and clasping it. The red haired youth smiled at me, this time without sadness.

“Thank you. From both of us.” I smiled as we shook hands. Releasing Minazuki’s hand, I surveyed the hospital room in which we were staying. My eyes lit up at the sight of a large wide screen TV in the room.

“Do you know what happened?” I asked. _Why on earth would they have one of those in a hospital room for Persona users?_

“No.” Minazuki answered briskly. “I woke up on this bed, and Sho’s memories ended at Grandmaster’s attack.”

“Uh-huh…” Muttering absent-mindedly, I brushed my hand along the surface of the TV, watching a stream of light ripples flash across the screen. “I wonder….”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, at least not right now. But then again, it _is_ your choice.” A familiar voice rang up. I spun around and saw Elizabeth standing nonchalantly at the corner of the room. _How long was she standing there?!_

Taking a deep breath to hide my bewilderment, I greeted Elizabeth:

“Hello Elizabeth. How was your day?” The elevator attendant raised an eyebrow.

“Quite nice thank you. And yours?”

“Just starting. I was also wondering whether you can shed some light on what happened after I passed out back in the TV world. Where are we, and what happened to the Shadow Ops?” Elizabeth smiled as she drew a chair towards her and sat down elegantly.

                “The Shadow Operatives are recovering right now. We’re in a Kirijo-owned hospital where there’s staff who are familiar with Shadow related injuries.” Elizabeth flipped through her grimoire absentmindedly. “The reason why neither you nor Minazuki are restrained is because none of the staff know that you’re both the Shadow Operative’s enemies, and you are still recorded on the books as a former Shadow Operative Auxiliary force member.”

                “The only reason why nobody would know that the two of us are the Shadow Ops’ enemies is because nobody is able or willing to tell them.” I sat down on my own bed, crossing my arms. “Which then begs the question, what happened to the Shadow Ops? Are you telling me that they were wiped out?” My fingers dug into my arms as I clenched my fists, knuckles whitening.

                “No, they’re not dead. But they got very lucky.” Elizabeth answered quickly, and I frowned. “The Grandmaster casted a very clever spell and induced what is known as Apathy Syndrome upon them. I believe you are familiar with the concept?” My eyes widened with shock as I nodded slowly.

                “Yes, quite. That was basically our favorite way of completing kill contracts back when Strega was active. So you say that Grandmaster can induce Apathy Syndrome upon others on will?” _By the Gods… No wonder the Shadow Operatives fell like reeds…_

“At least the spell was supposed to.” Elizabeth replied as she crossed her legs, flipping quickly through the leather bound grimoire. “Luckily for all of us, the spell doesn’t seem to be in full power, so I expect the Shadow Operatives to fully recover in three days’ time.” I let out a sigh and leant back in my bed.

                “You… Now I know why your clothes look so familiar…” Minazuki spoke up. “Are you affiliated with the Velvet Room?” Elizabeth looked up, a hint of surprise in her eyes. I frowned and looked at Elizabeth and then Minazuki.

                _This is the first time I saw her get caught speechless… What in the world, Minazuki…?_

“How do you know of that name?” Regaining her composure, Elizabeth asked, gently yet firmly. Minazuki shrugged slightly before replying:

                “They contacted us shortly before the P1- Climax, offering us a contract in exchange for their services. I refused, since they did not seem trustworthy.”

                “I am offended that you would think any resident of the Room as untrustworthy!” Elizabeth exclaimed, looking indignant. “We as residents of the Velvet Room have provided aid to humanity many times around, serving to strengthen Wild Cards throughout the ages!”

                “Yes, you provided support to humanity and strengthened Wild Cards. At that time we were planning to wipe out humanity, who had the Wild Cards as their most powerful protectors. I believe in that case there would be ample cause for me to distrust the Velvet Room.” Minazuki gazed calmly at Elizabeth, who giggled sheepishly and fell silent. The red haired youth smirked and continued.

“By the way, neither of us are used to displays of altruism. Think about it, two cosmic entities, showing up with an offer of power with limitless potential, and the only price you have to pay is _be responsible_? Can you blame us for being suspicious? With Hi-no-Katgusuchi, I at least knew what he was planning. I could not claim the same with the Velvet Room.” I shrugged and turned back to Elizabeth.

“Hey, he has a point. If I was suddenly confronted with that situation, I would refuse as well. The concept is just so alien that we can’t really wrap our heads around it…” The elevator attendant pouted and sniffed, and then pointed her nose up.

“Well in that regard I would say that the two of you have done quite a marvelous job in choosing the… what was the term? Ah, yes, ‘cosmic entity’. You two have done quite a marvelous job in choosing which cosmic entity to serve. Your choices seem to have benefitted you both greatly, no?” I winced, and then chuckled sheepishly while looking at Sho.

“Oh boy, we got owned, didn’t we?” I joked at the red haired youth. Minazuki chuckled, shaking his head. Glancing down, he raised an eyebrow, noticing my knuckles which had gone white as I clenched my fist tight, but he didn’t comment on it. I turned back to Elizabeth, smiling. “Yeah, you’re right. On the topic of cosmic entities, do you know what happened to Grandmaster?”

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you are wondering. He managed to evade my attack, and I have an ominous feeling that the next we meet, I would not be able to fend him off as easily.” Elizabeth said with a grim expression. I frowned and crossed my arms. “But you don’t need to worry about him, at least not until the Shadow Operatives recover. If my suspicions are correct, he would be limiting his actions to a very specific area within the Sea of Consciousness, and won’t be roaming around anytime soon.”

“Your ‘suspicions’? Mind sharing them?” I inquired. Elizabeth smiled and stood up from her seat.

“Unfortunately, this is not the time. I will share the details of it with you someday, but not now.” She raised an eyebrow at my expression. “Don’t be so alarmed. The reason I am not informing you now is because I want the Shadow Operatives to be awake and conscious when I present my suspicions on Grandmaster. I believe it would be much more efficient that way, without requiring me to repeat myself.”

“Now, I know that you’ve just woken up Caius, and I think you would need a bit of rest for what is to come.” Elizabeth turned around and started heading towards the door. “By the way, all your belongings are stored in this closet, just in case you were wondering.”

“Elizabeth.” I called out to the elevator attendant. She paused, looking at me inquiringly. “I kind of need to know… Are you still affiliated with the Velvet Room?”

“Why do you ask?” I smiled slightly at her question.

“It’s just good to know who you’re working with, so you don’t accidently make plans that harm your friends.” Elizabeth nodded.

“To answer your question, no, I am no longer affiliated with the Velvet Room, although we’re still on very good terms.” The elevator attendant smiled, almost nostalgically. “It kind of hard to not be on good terms with a place where so many pleasant memories dwell. The fact that both my siblings still work there doesn’t hurt either. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes. Thank you Elizabeth…. For everything.” Elizabeth nodded, smiling cheerfully as she left the room. I got under the covers and laid down on my bed, feeling tired once more.

_I guess that is to be expected, seeing what happened right before I collapsed…_

“What’s your take on all this Minazuki?” I asked wearily. A small chuckle came from the red-haired youth’s direction.

“What does it matter at this point? We can only take the best choice offered to us. If Sho’s memories are correct, that’s exactly why you decided to serve Grandmaster, right? Because refusing a request from such a powerful being would be almost suicidal?” A chuckle broke out from my lips, which gradually evolved into a full-on laugh.

“Hahahahaha… You’ve got that right. In the end, we are nothing but gladiators in the arena of the Gods.” I sighed, feeling myself slowly drifting off into unconsciousness. “I just wish, with this hand I am dealt, I can do something worthy of applause within my time on stage…”

As I muttered incoherently, I slowly drifted into blissful sleep…

* * *

 

                “Tch…” I grimaced and shifted in my bed, half asleep as a light shined on me. Opening my eyes, I blinked a few times groggily before looking around for the sourced of the light. Finding it, my eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat.

                “What in the world…” I muttered. The TV in the room was on, showing a blank background in what seems like a broken down laboratory. In the middle of the picture a familiar figure sat on top of a broken operating table, his back towards the screen, his hood pulled up. Glancing towards Minazuki’s bed, I saw the sleeping figure of the red-haired youth.

                _He doesn’t seem awake… What the hell… I thought the Midnight Channel was limited to Inaba and was ended by Narukami’s team!_

“Tch… such a shame.” The figure on the TV screen muttered to himself. “The Shadows won’t get near me anymore… What else is there here…?” The figure stood up, slightly swaying, his head turning as if surveying the broken lab. His hands were drenched with pitch black ichor, and he was holding a barely alive Gigas by the head.

                “Well, might as well finish this one off, before he wastes away…” The figure slipped his hands up to the Gigas’ throat, and the Shadow attempted to defend itself. Despite its best efforts, the figure managed to slip his hands through its defenses and placed a thumb and index finger on either side of its throat.

                “Goodbye…” With a light, cheerful farewell, the figure pinched down hard on the Shadow’s throat. The Gigas let out a loud gurgle and collapsed, shadowy ichor spraying out of its throat as it slowly dissipated, leaving the hooded figure standing alone in the middle of the scene.

                “Ba-dum…ba-dum…ba-dum…ba-dum…ba-dum…ba-dum…” The figure intoned lightly as he walked around the wreckage, snapping his fingers to the beat. Eventually he stopped and started chuckling. “Even Shadows have a pulse, no? Hahahaha… That’s good, that’s good…. Oh what am I saying? It’s more than good…” Slightly shaking by now, the figure buried his head in his hands and started chuckling insanely.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-! THIS IS GREAT!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!! I LOVE THIS FEELING!!!!” As he crackled madly, the figure turned around to face the screen. I scowled as I saw my own face glaring at me between his fingers, maniac grin on his face and yellow eyes glowing.

                “Isn’t that right…. _me_?!” With that final sentence, the image cut to static and fizzled out.

                “Tch… that’s annoying.” Muttering to myself, I walked towards the closet where my belongings were stored. Opening the closet, I smiled slightly at the familiar sight of my clothes and gear. Quickly strapping everything up, I paused as I grasped my evoker.

                _Without a Persona…. Is it even worth it?_ I looked at my evoker for a while, tilting the barrel so the light glinted across the word “Strega” etched along the barrel. Taking a deep breath, I twirled the evoker a few times before holstering the evoker. Quickly loading my shotgun, I started walking towards the TV, holstering the shotgun at my hip.

                “Where do you think you’re going?”  The calm voice of Minazuki asked. I paused, and then looked at Minazuki’s bed to find the red-haired youth looking at me with clear blue eyes.

                _Of course, it would be too much to expect that that whole ruckus wouldn’t wake him up…_

                “To retrieve an old friend. Are you going to stop me?” I asked calmly. Minazuki threw off his covers to reveal that he was fully dressed and armed. I raised an eyebrow.

                _Okay… so he was awake long before that show came up…_

                “No.” As he stood up, Minazuki drew his swords and twirled them around, testing their weight and balance. “I’m going to go with you, just to make sure that you’re not going to be killed.” I smirked.

                “Aww… I’m moved. Now if you wanna come along, better keep up.” Turning around, I reached towards the TV screen.

                My palm met a solid surface right in front of the TV screen, blocked by a glowing magical circle. I frowned confusedly for a second before understanding dawned upon me.

                “Elizabeth…” I swore silently under my breath.

                “You called?” A voice rang up behind me. Spinning around, I saw Elizabeth sitting nonchalantly on top of my bed. At my side, Minazuki tensed up, katana at ready. The elevator attendant looked at the youth’s blades with an air of amusement. “Put down your blades. I am not here to fight you.”

                “But you are here to stop us.” I stated. Elizabeth let out a tinkling laugh.

                “Yes and no. I’m only here to stop one of you.” Lifting one hand elegantly, Elizabeth pointed towards Minazuki. “Where you’re going, he cannot follow.”

                “Is there a reason for that?” Minazuki asked tensely. Elizabeth shrugged lightly.

                “This Shadow is Caius’ deepest darkest problems given life and form. It is only proper that Caius is the one to confront it.” The elevator attendant stood up, flipping through her grimoire once more. “Also, I would like a word with you Minazuki. It’s mainly concerning the nature of your relationship with the one known as Sho, as well as your relationship with the Velvet Room. I might be able to help you two.” Hearing that, Minazuki’s eyes lit up, but he then glanced at me, looking conflicted.

                “Go ahead.” I smiled. “As Elizabeth said, this Shadow is mine, so it’s my mess to clean up.” Nodding, Minazuki stepped away from me as I turned and reached out towards the TV screen.

                “Wait.” I paused again at Elizabeth’s voice. Looking back once more, I saw the Elevator attendant standing in the middle of the room, her grimoire lying flat open in her palm, the card of the Death Arcana floating above the pages. “Do you really intend to go in just like this? You’ll pass out long before your Shadow confrontation even starts.”

                “What’s the alternative then?”

                “There are powers of the Wild Card that neither Narukami nor Aigis have access to, since a soul that was born human is far too fragile to sustain the full power and potential of a Wild Card. But I, on the other hand, was not born human, and thus has a much more powerful soul.” As Elizabeth spoke, she lifted her other hand, summoning the glowing tarot card of the Fool into her palm. “That being said, what I’m about to attempt has only been successfully executed by two entities, both of them easily dwarfing me in power. But even so, maybe I can pull off a cheap imitation, especially since you are already a Persona-user…”

                As she spoke, Elizabeth guided the Fool card towards the Death card, wherein the two cards started revolving each other. A glowing blue aura started surrounding her, as Elizabeth started to float midair, her hair ruffling through the sheer amount of energy surging through her body. The elevator attendant lowered her head, staring directly at me. I felt an aura of energy focus upon me, and I tensed up in preparation for whatever Elizabeth had planned out.

                “ **Persona** …” With a whispered command, Elizabeth snapped her grimoire shut, shattering both cards in the process. At that moment, I felt a surge of energy rush towards me, probing and forcing its way into my mind. It was not painful, as Grandmaster’s extraction was, but the sheer rush of power still forced me onto my knees. A grating voice ran through my mind.

_‘I am thou, and thou art I._

_I am Ghoul, consumer of man._

_I pledge my loyalty to you.’_

                “A… Persona?” I muttered to myself. In front of me, Elizabeth took a deep breath before almost collapsing on top of my bed. The elevator attendant smiled tiredly at me and nodded towards my evoker.

                “Go on. Take a shot.” Frowning to myself, I drew my evoker and pointed the barrel at my chin, taking a deep breath before pulling the trigger.

                “Persona.” As the spiritual bullet ripped through my mind, a green humanoid form materialized with a feral snarl, leaping from the air, and dematerialized once it hit the floor. I whistled lowly.

                “Wow… a new Persona…”

                “It was… more tiring… than I anticipated…” Elizabeth said breathlessly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes, regaining her composure. “Also, as you might have noticed, this is only the weakest of Personas within the Death Arcana. It’s all that I could’ve managed.”

                “And why did you give this to me? I assume that there’s going to be some kind of price attached to this?” I asked, eyeing Elizabeth slightly warily. The elevator attendant faced me with an innocent expression.

                “What? Can’t I just provide a bit of help for a friend?” She asked innocently. I narrowed my eyes slightly.

                “Really? You just admittedly depleted most of your energy to bequeath a Persona on me, just because we are friends?” I asked testily. Elizabeth’s maintained her innocent expression.

                “Yes. What’s wrong with that?” I nodded to myself.

                “I see….”

                Elizabeth’s eyes widened in surprise and her breath flew out in a whoosh as I closed the distance between us in a single stride and pulled her into a tight hug. I felt her tense up a bit before relaxing in my embrace.

                “Thank you… for everything.” I whispered into her ear. I released the embrace and backed up towards the TV. A light blush was dusting Elizabeth’s cheeks and she was, for the first time since I knew her, quite visibly flustered.

                “I… Ah… of course… you’re welcome…” The elevator attendant mumbled. I chuckled in amusement at her embarrassment.

                “To think that an Avatar of Power would blush and get flustered like a teenage girl… Hehehe…” Elizabeth pouted, only furthering my mirth. After a few seconds, Minazuki joined in on the laughter, and eventually so did Elizabeth.

                “Don’t die Caius.” Elizabeth jokingly warned me. “I’m not done with you yet. You still have a contract to fulfill.”

                “And a promise.” Minazuki added. “You owe us both too much to just die.”

                “Huh. You both care about me so much, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t die.”

                Taking one final glance at Elizabeth and Minazuki, I leant into the TV screen, falling through the portal into the TV world once more.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                I fell through the screen, plummeting through the air for a few meters before landing on my feet. I let out a heavy grunt in pain as the momentum of the fall drove my knee hard into the ground.

                “Ow… Dammit, I’m getting sloppy, relying on Angelic Grace way too much…” I muttered to myself, rubbing my knee as I got up. “Now, where is that sonofabitch…?” I surveyed the area. The TV world looked just like always, with green rolling hills all around. There was nothing out of ordinary within eyesight.

                _Where the hell is that guy?_ I wondered to myself as I wandered through the plains. Walking up one of the hills, my eyes widened at the sight before me.

                “Holy crap…” I swore under my breath at the sight that was previously obscured by the hill came into view. Scattered Shadow corpses littered all over the ground, pitch black ichor splattered on the ground. The corpses and blood formed a grisly trail that led into the distance, leading to a building in a distance.

                “Well, he sure likes leaving bread crumbs… Is he really me?” I muttered to myself as I started following the trail of bodies. As I approached the building in the distance, I looked absent mindedly at all the Shadow corpses littered on the ground. Every single one of them had their throats pinched through, and some of them still had ichor leaking out of the wounds. I frowned to myself at the MO of my Shadow.

                _What the hell does this say about me? My MO is all about throats?_ Deep in thought, I almost fell over as I tripped over a branch. Catching myself, I did a double take as I looked up and saw the building being a lot closer than I thought. The reason for that, I realized, was due to the building being a lot smaller than I thought, resulting in me misjudging the distance.

                _No, not small_. I pondered as I approached the building. _It’s only just the tip of the iceberg… perhaps in a pretty literal sense…_

                The building in question was not quite small, per se. It just seemed so because the only visible part was the entrance to the building. The whole place emitted a kind of sci-fi atmosphere, like the kind of feeling when you watch a Featherman Show. I frowned to myself as I drew my gun at the ready, taking cautious steps into the entrance of the building. As I entered, the door slammed shut behind me, making me flinch.

                _Well that wasn’t clichéd at all…_

                Several monitors attached to the walls flickered to life, and saw my mirror image staring down at me, maniacal smile stretched out on his face, yellow eyes wide and glowing. Shadowy ichor was splattered across his face, mixed in with some liquid that was more crimson than Shadow blood.

                “So, you’re here. I was wondering when you’d show up. Honestly I was getting a bit bored here.” The Shadow spoke in a calm voice that was completely out of synch with his expression. “Come on down, I’m at the bottom floor. And don’t worry, I’ve already killed all the Shadows in this building. Nah, scratch that, I’ve killed everything else that can breathe in this building. So come on down. I’m the only danger you need to worry about here.” With a slightly ominous chuckle, the monitor turned off. I smirked to myself in hidden exasperation, and holstered my shotgun as I strolled around, looking for the stairs.

                _‘Do you think it is wise to simply believe what he says?’_ A grating voice rang up in my head. I paused for a second before remembering whose voice it was.

                _‘Oh, hello Ghoul. I was wondering why you didn’t speak.’_

_‘Conversation is not my thing.’_ Ghoul answered curtly, _‘And my question still stands. Why are you trusting him so easily?’_

_‘Because, if all accounts are accurate, he is me. And I know me.’_ Pulling a Shadow corpse aside, I slammed my fist into a button, opening a gate and revealing a staircase leading downwards.

                _‘That doesn’t answer my question.’_

_‘Ghoul, how much of my memory can you access?’_ I asked as I stepped deeper into the structure.

                _‘Not much. I am a Persona pledged to you, but I don’t belong to you. At least not in the strictest sense.’_

_‘Oh, okay. Then…?’_ A grating chuckle came from Ghoul at my unspoken question.

                _‘I vaguely remember serving several Wild Cards before pledging myself to you, including the ones you know as Narukami and Aigis, as well as their predecessors. Only temporarily though, since they always move on to other, more powerful Persona.’_ I grunted in acknowledgement as I looked around for the next staircase. _‘Now, back to my original question. Why do you trust him like that?’_

_‘As I said, because he’s me. I never lie.’_

_‘Oh really?’_ Sarcasm dripped from Ghoul’s voice. I chuckled and relented.

                _‘Let me rephrase. I never explicitly lie. If I say something, I will never tell a lie or break my word, but you can sure as hell bet that I would exploit every single loophole in the wordings that I can find. He just told me explicitly that he is the only danger I need to worry about in this building, so I am willing to bet my life on the fact that he has razed this building quite thoroughly.’_ Ghoul grunted in acknowledgement as I pulled another Shadow corpse aside to reveal the staircase to the next floor.

                Several flights of stairs later, I found myself staring at a big double gate that faced me. Lifted my foot, I slammed the heel of my boot into the Iron Gate, causing a loud echo to flow through the halls. A low fizzle came from my right, and I turned to see a familiar face gloating at me from a monitor.

                “Ah, the guest of honor is here! Do come in…” With a slight sneer, my Shadow waved a hand and the gate in front of me slide open, revealing a dimly lit room. Lifting my Lupara cautiously, I slowly stepped into the room. In the middle of the room an operating light shone on a wide metal operating table. On the table my doppelganger sat lazily, looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

                “Hello Eubuleus. How are you doing?” I asked in a calm voice, keeping my shotgun trailed on my doppelganger.

                “Eubuleus… So distant, to refer me to another name. I’m feeling a bit hurt.” I raised an eyebrow as my doppelganger leapt off the table to face me. “Nobody usually refers to themselves in third person, so why are you doing so, _me_?”

                “Well, most people don’t _literally_ talk to themselves either.” I replied. “I do believe that since you are, for now at least, a separate entity, a name is appropriate. Or else we would never be able to distinguish between us, and unfortunately for the current circumstances it is the unfortunate truth that we would be better served by being referred to differently.” The Shadow stared at me blankly for a few seconds before throwing his head back and roaring in laughter.

                “Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-! YES!! You! You are definitely worthy of being my other half!!  HAHAHAHAHAHA-! Such composure!” The Shadow doubled over in maniacal laughter, gasping for breath. Wiping tears of laughter from its eyes, it looked up to me with a wide smirk. “Well, you do make quite a convincing case. So who am I to deny such a reasonable request?”

                Lifting a hand, the Shadow snapped his fingers. At the crisp sound, a layer of static flowed over the body of the Shadow. As the static flickered, the Shadow started shrinking down in height and becoming plump. Hoodie and jeans gave way to a full business suit and formal pants, while the messy matted hair shrunk back into a well combed head of hair. As the static died down, my eyes widened at the new appearance of the Shadow. It bore no resemblance to what it was before, yet was still distinctly familiar.

                “Watanabe….” I muttered under my breath, making the name a curse. “What are you doing here? In my psyche, out of all places?”

                “What, did you think that one full week of torture would not sear my image into your mind? I feel rather insulted…” Watanabe replied with his slick, oily voice. I grimaced in disgust as he grinned widely. “In fact, I would say that my meddling has significantly influenced your psyche… Perhaps more than you can guess…”

                “I killed you and that was the end of that.” I spat out. “I saw you explode into a shower of blood and guts right in front of me. I pulled the fuckin’ trigger myself.”

                “Ah yes, that little detail. People always seem to focus upon the details, no?” Watanabe sneered as he leant against the operation table. “Ever since I died, Chicot wasn’t exactly acting right. Spontaneous spell casting. Flashbacks. Phantom pains. Any of those sound familiar?” Seeing the change of my expression, Watanabe laughed out loud.

                “Seems like I hit a mark. You brushed it off as PTSD, didn’t you? You simply thought: ‘I was tortured for a whole week, there’s no way that I left without a scratch. It’s just PTSD.’ Well, quite an optimistic outlook, but sadly miscalculated…”

                “What are you getting at?” I snarled at the Shadow, who laughed.

                “My point is that your psyche was changed a lot. In fact, it was altered far more than the average sufferer of PTSD. Understandable, since PTSD is the psychological side-effects from either suffering horrendous physical trauma, while my little project targeted your psyche directly…”

                “Cut the crap and get to the point.”

                “Very well then. To put it in the simplest terms possible, from the day of the Gekkoukan High explosion, the day when you first took a life, you’ve acquired a slight affinity for death. Death took away your parents, and their deaths granted you a Persona. And finally, causing death helped you escape Ikkutsuki.” Watanabe grinned widely at me, yellow eyes glowing. “My little experiment just grabbed ahold of this slight affinity hidden deep within your heart, and pulled it to the open!” My eyes widened at the statement. Taking advantage of my surprise, the Shadow covered the distance between us in a quick leap.

                _Crap!_ Taking a quick step back, I instinctively pulled down both triggers. Watanabe swerved to a side, not skipping a beat even as the twin buck shot ripped a giant hole in his ribs, splattering Shadowy ichor all over the floor. The Shadow reached out with his hand and grabbed ahold of my free hand, clasping in tightly.

                _Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

I gasped at the familiar heartbeat that resonated through my palm. Before my eyes, a layer of static appeared over Watanabe’s face, and as the static died down, I found myself staring at another familiar face.

                “Admit it.” The voice of Tohru Adachi drawled as he grinned condescendingly, “You felt an adrenaline rush when you felt my heart stop. And you know what the fun part is? You _enjoyed_ it. Or to be more exact…” The static flickered up once more, and I was facing Watanabe again.

_“We_ enjoyed it.”  The Shadow finished, grinning at me. My eyes widened as my brain tried to process what the Shadow was saying. Taking advantage of my shock, Watanabe back-fisted me hard, sending me tumbling backwards into a wall, the Lupara knocked out of my hands.

“Don’t get me wrong you know, it’s not like we _wanted_ Adachi dead. It was nothing personal at all…” Watanabe drawled as he casually strolled closer. I slowly stood up, wincing with pain. “But it seems that the week of torture has given us a taste of death, and it seems to fit well with us. It doesn’t matter whether it was someone else dying by our hand, or ourselves having a close brush against death, as long as there was a life in the gambling pot, we were happy!”

“You know nothing about me! Ghoul!” Crushing the glowing tarot card, Ghoul leapt forward with a feral cry, talons flashing. As the green figure slashed at Watanabe, the Shadow laughed even as pitch black ichor sprayed out from various wounds on his body. Spinning around, the Shadow knocked Ghoul aside with a powerful kick. By then I had already closed the distance between us, punching forward with my dagger and piercing Watanabe’s throat.

The Shadow let out a strangled gurgle, before breaking out a wide smile. Reaching up, Watanabe grabbed my hands, preventing me from pulling the dagger out. I felt the familiar heartbeats flow though the blade once more into my palm.

_Ba-dum… Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…..… Ba-dum………..Ba-dum…………………..Ba-dum……………………………._

“You know, you totally could’ve just escaped the Shadow Operatives before you got mixed together in this whole mess. You’ve already proved that Shadow killing is quite the lucrative business, even when there isn’t a contract to fulfill. You have supported yourself quite comfortably for five years.” Watanabe muttered, my stiletto still protruding from his throat. “So why would you want to initiate a contract with the Shadow Operatives, when the gains are clearly not worth the risk?”

Snarling, I grabbed Watanabe’s head and pulled it in, smashing the Shadow’s face onto my knee. As the Shadow’s body bounced up from the force of the blow, I slammed an elbow down the center of his torso, slamming the Shadow onto the ground while using the momentum to recover my dagger. As I backed up from the Shadow, Watanabe’s voice rang out again, unfazed by all the beatings he just took.

“I’ll tell you why. You wanted _death_. Killing all your captors must be extremely exhilarating, no? And even the brush with death invoked by the week must have sent your heart pounding, right?” As he spoke, Watanabe started slowly crawling back up again, smiling widely. “That’s why you joined the Shadow Operatives, and that’s why you decided to work for Grandmaster later on, because you could taste death while doing those contracts. The time when you massacred Shadows with the Shadow Ops under Tokyo Tower. The time you slaughtered Shadows with Adachi in Saitou’s pub. When you were shoving people into the TV to act as a diversion for the Shadow Ops. When you almost died by Narukami and Aigis’ hand. Even when you killed Adachi.” The Shadow smiled, eyes glinting at me. I clenched my left hand and slapped it against my leg, trying to rid it of the memory of the heartbeats.

“You were excited like you never were during these moments, right? These are just a few notable examples of your bloodlust, or to be more exact, your _death-wish_. The old Caius who worked under Strega kept it under control, opting for actual monetary gain rather than just killing, and risk being killed, for fun. You, however, have gone far past that. Seeking to avoid cognitive dissonance, you demand exuberant fees from your employers for all the murders you committed.

“But let’s be honest Caius, after a certain amount, money doesn’t really matter right? There’s only so much a man can spend in a single lifetime, even if he lived as a king. You’ve earned enough for a couple lifetimes.” Standing upright, Watanabe smiled for a second while the numerous gashes and wounds all over his body closed up. His outline flickered for a bit, and then the Shadow appeared right in front of me. My eyes widened as I slashed forwards with my dagger, a curse forming upon my lips.

“Crap-” The Shadow blocked my slash with his arm, barely blinking out of beat as ichor splattered out of the wound. Taking a step forward, the Shadow grabbed hold of my collar.

“A mercenary is a warrior who is motivated by monetary gain. But you don’t really fit this description word for word, right?” Watanabe smiled as I snarled in response. “Should I spell it out for you? All the blood that’s been splattered over your hands since the Project Prometheus incident? None of it was due to revenge, honor, morals, or even money. No, all the death and destruction that had occurred in your wake was due to you _enjoying_ it, and _seeking_ it out. Isn’t that right, _me_?”

“Like hell you are!” I snarled before shoving a knee forward, slamming it into the stomach of the Shadow. As Watanabe’s grasp on my collar loosened, I twisted back into a cartwheel, slamming both my heels into the chin of the Shadow as I drew some distance between us. I landed on my feet, breathing heavily. Watanabe simply regained his balance and smiled arrogantly at me.

“Like hell you are! There’s no way that… there’s NO FUCKING WAY THAT YOU’RE---” Catching myself at the last moment, I clasped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from finishing the sentence. Watanabe laughed.

“Hahahahaha… You’re good at this. Even under all this pressure, you still retain an impressive amount of self-control!” As he spoke, a shadowy aura started surrounding Watanabe, increasing in intensity as time passed, whipping up a powerful gust of wind. I lifted an arm to shield my eyes from the gust

_H-how-? I didn’t…._

“But do you really think that it would be enough to just stop yourself from vocally denying me? Right now denial is basically running through your whole being! Hahahahaha… This power… not quite as much as there would be if you vocally denied me, but it would be enough…” The aura engulfed Watanabe for a second, and a second figure started materializing from behind him.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” As Watanabe laughed, the figure behind him snapped its arm straight in my direction. I swerved to a side, slightly shivering as I felt the cold iron barely scrap my cheek as something flew right past my face and crash into the floor behind me. Twisting around, I saw a familiar spear planted into the ground. My eyes widened with surprise.

_That’s Eubuleus’ spear…_

“You know, this would be the scene that haunts your worst nightmares, right? Fitting that it should be your death…” Watanabe’s voice gloated. Sure enough, the familiar figure of Eubuleus was floating behind Watanabe, leering at me with malice in his eyes. I clenched my teeth at the sight of my Persona hovering behind Watanabe. The bloody jester lifted his free hand, and the spear flew back into his hands.

As ice shards flew in my direction, I managed to barely sidestep, avoiding the ice bolts. Eubuleus swung his cross around in a wide arc, which I barely dodged by dropping down into a sprawl. Looking up, I saw the Persona throw his spear out once more and rolled to the side, barely dodging the spear thrust.

“Dammit… Ghoul!” At my command, the green Persona tore his way out of my mind and charged howling at Watanabe. The Shadow merely smirked as Eubuleus lowered his cross in front of him, blocking Ghoul’s charge. Swinging his cross around, Eubuleus flung Ghoul away before retrieving his spear again.

By then, I had already charged in close towards Watanabe, dagger flashing. Grabbing onto the Shadow’s shoulder, I sent out a flurry of slashes.

“It won’t matter if you have Eubuleus as long as I stay in close.” I muttered as shadowy ichor flew past my face. “No Persona of that size could ever be precise enough to attack people in a close melee.” Despite having countless slashes across his face and body, Watanabe still managed to smile arrogantly.

“True for a human, but not quite for a Shadow.” With this reply, Eubuleus’ spear erupted out of Watanabe’s chest and pierced straight towards me. Bouncing off my right leg, I swerved to the side, gasping as I felt the cold iron slice along my ribs. As I backpedaled, I looked down at the wound. The chainmail and leather vest I wore under my hoodie had absorbed most of the damage, so there was only a shallow slice along my ribs. Eubuleus pulled his spear back through Watanabe’s chest, and the gaping hole on the Shadow’s chest reformed instantly.

“You seem to mistake the two of us as different entities. We are one, just as you and I were one before you denied us! **Atom Smasher**!” Watanabe announced proudly as Eubuleus expanded his chest and screeched. Countless purple slashes flew out from Eubuleus and flew in my direction.

I leapt behind an overturned operation table next to me, which promptly shattered as soon as the attack hit it. The force send me tumbling back, small shallow gashes appearing all over my arms and legs.

“Tch, now aren’t you a slippery one. Doesn’t matter. Since your demise is only a question of _when_!” Eubuleus lifted his spear in preparation to follow up on the attack. Breathing heavily, I reached out towards the glowing tarot card descending in front of me, crushing it between my fingers once more.

Ghoul jumped down from behind Eubuleus and landed on the jester’s neck, claws tearing at the larger Persona’s face. Eubuleus screeched and swung around, trying to throw off the smaller Persona. Taking advantage of the diversion, I started clambering up, gritting my teeth at the various aches and stings from all my wounds.

Suddenly a huge piercing pain expanded in my stomach, causing me to collapse with a scream of pain. Looking to a side, I saw that Eubuleus has managed to shake of Ghoul and has impaled the smaller Persona with his spear. Slamming the Persona down, the bloody jester pinned Ghoul with his cross and lifted his spear, purple energy flowing through the spear.

“A Persona and his owner shares all pain and pleasure… But what happens if the Persona is borrowed? Would the owner also feel everything that the Persona does?” Watanabe spoke, as if in cruel contemplation. “Well, should we find out then? For science.” With that statement, Eubuleus brought his spear down upon Ghoul.

The two of us screamed in unison as I felt a phantom spear pierce my guts and twist violently. Eubuleus lifted the spear and brought it crashing down again. I spasmed and curled into a ball, coughing up specks of blood as I felt the blow as though it had landed on me.

“It seems like pain is shared between them normally.” Watanabe observed while Eubuleus continued his relentless assault. “Now, let us see if the same is true for life.” Eubuleus lifted up his spear one last time, the weapon radiating a purple aura.

**Atom Smasher**.

Hundreds of purple slashes flew out of the weapon in Eubuleus’ hand and arced upwards, turning around midair and flying back down to where Ghoul was pinned. I watched helplessly as Eubuleus ducked out at the last second, leaving Ghoul to be struck by the countless slashes.

I screamed and spasmed as I felt Ghoul being torn into tiny bloody bits, ichor spattering all around him. Rolling to a side, I opened my mouth a vomited out a pool of blood.

_I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying…._

“Huh, so the wielder can survive the destruction of the Persona… Interesting…” Watanabe drawled. “Okay then, my curiosity is sated. Since you’re not going to completely accept or deny me, I might as well finish the job then.” At his comment, Eubuleus slowly started gliding towards me. I slightly pushed myself off the ground, breathing heavily.

_I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying… But-_

My pulse was racing. My breathing was ragged and shallow, but every breath filled my lungs. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, causing everything to be shown in minute detail and movements to slow down. I can feel every single breath, every heartbeat, and every pulse. Even every drop of blood that is rushing through my veins.

_I’m dying, but… I’m alive. In fact, I’ve never felt more alive… Is this… is this what Takaya felt all the time?_

My eyes widened and my breathing quickened as the dawning realization overcame my lingering denial. Taking a deep breath, I held it for a second before releasing it in a slow hiss, feeling my pulse slow down as I released my breath. Looking up, I gazed into the eyes of Eubuleus as he was lifting his weapon for the death blow.

“Was that death?” I whispered to the Persona. “Well then… Again.”

My whispered words were barely intelligible, yet the bloody jester froze right before landing the blow. Watanabe flinched before taking a step forward, faced flushed.

“What did you say?! WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU--?” The Shadow spat out, venom dripping in his voice.

“I asked for another. Another death.” I stated calmly, slowly and painfully crawling my way back on my feet. “You were right. I do _crave_ death…” Static started covering Eubuleus’ figure as Watanabe screamed in fury.

“NO!!! Do you think… after pretending all this time… do you really think you can simply accept…?”

“I accept death as an inevitable end of life, yet it is only in the presence of death can life be at its brightest…” I muttered to myself, almost as if in trance while the static increased over the body of Eubuleus.

“KILL HIM!!!” Watanabe screamed. Eubuleus started lifting his weapon slowly, static flowing all over his body.

“Normally I am so entrenched within life that I sometimes forget that I _am_ alive. When I brush against death… when I bring death unto another… that is when I feel _alive_. Much like a fish that isn’t aware of water until it gets pulled into the air, I sometimes forget about life until death reminds me of it…” I looked on as Eubuleus’ spear was lifted high, static crackling down the length of the weapon. A maniacal smile slowly crawled up my face as the Persona jabbed the weapon towards my face. “So now… kill me if you so wish, _me_.”

Eubulues’ spear exploded into a cloud of static right before hitting me. The Persona looked blankly down at his empty hands, which were quickly dissipating into a cloud of static before lifting his head once more. Our gazes met for a second as the Persona’s body was slowly consumed by static.

_I see you soon, old friend…_

As Eubuleus’ body dissolved into static, I looked over at my Shadow. He was stumbling, static flickering around his body, His appearances shifting swiftly between that of Watanabe’s, Adachi’s, and mine.

“No… after all these years of denial… after all this time… I refuse to…” Mumbling incoherently, the Shadow started walking in my direction, eyes fixed on me. Gritting my teeth at the pain throughout my body, I started shambling towards the Shadow as well, mirroring his movements.

“Hehehe… Who’s the one in denial now? Hehehe… how ironic… If you refuse to rejoin me, I guess I’ll just have to consume you by force…” I chuckled as I drew closer to the static filled Shadow.

“Don’t… make me laugh” The Shadow snarled, lifting his fist in preparation to throw a punch, “How would… you ever do that? You have… no magic…”

“Easy… ” I replied as I caught the Shadow’s punch, pulling him closer. “It’s the only way I know how…” As I muttered, I leant forward towards the Shadow. I saw him lift his other hand in preparation for a head butt, but that wasn’t what I was going for.

Ducking my head down, I dug my chin into his collarbone and swung my head to the other side, knocking his head to a side and exposing his neck. Opening my jaws as wide as they would go, I bit down hard upon the Shadow’s neck, relishing the feeling of flesh upon my teeth, and ichor filling my mouth.

The Shadow screamed and struggled as I felt the substance that I was biting become less corporeal by the second. My jaws snapped shut through the shadowy ooze, and a blast of energy sent me flying back. I grunted in pain as I curled into a ball and did several back rolls to lessen the impact. As soon as I managed to halt my momentum, I spat out a mouthful of pitch black ichor.

“Disgusting…”

“You’ve got that right. I’m impressed you managed to think of that.” A familiar voice came from above. I looked up, and saw Adachi smiling at me, half crouching and offering his hand to me. Behind him, my doppelganger lay prone on the floor.

“Adachi…”

“Heh, don’t fret. So you like death, and you felt excitement when you killed me. You did not choose to kill me, and you had my blessings. Who am I to judge, eh?” Adachi drawled. “Justice, morals, victory and losses. Who dictates the definitions for those concepts? As long as you can look back on your life and say: I have no regrets, I have lived life to its fullest. Then, who cares whether society defines you as good or evil, victor or loser? None of those can reach you once you’re dead. You seemed to have been hanging around the Shadow Ops for so long you forgot those simple concepts.” I stared wide-eyed at Adachi for a minute before letting out a low chuckle.

“Heh. I guess you’re right.” Taking Adachi’s hand, I crawled up to my feet and started limping towards my Shadow on the ground. Standing over my doppelganger, our eyes met, blue to yellow.

“Huh. Facing yourself… even for someone like me, there’s plenty of stuff here I don’t like. But still, it’s me. I might as well laugh and be happy about it.” I knelt down beside my doppelganger and reached out a hand. “Shall we then?”

My Shadow looked at my hand for a minute or two before reaching out and clasping it, a small smile forming on his lips. I chuckled as he started glowing bright red and was engulfed within a red aura, dying down to reveal Eubuleus standing before me once more.

_‘I am thou…_

_And thou art I…_

_From the sea of your soul I return,_

_I am Eubuleus, he who escaped Hell,_

_And I have returned to serve again…’_

                “Welcome back… friend.” I muttered to myself as Eubuleus dematerialized, reclaiming his spot at the back of my head.

                _‘It’s good to be back.’_

                I twisted around and saw that Adachi was slowly dematerializing as well. I approached the detective, and his dematerializing slowed down as he looked at me inquiringly.

                “I… Thank you for your help. I’m really indebted to you, not just for this conflict, but several before.” I said, scratching the back of my head. Adachi laughed as his dematerialization resumed.

                “Don’t mention it. It’s only through helping you that I can get some fun again.” The detective was almost invisible by now. “And besides, there’s really no point in holding back if the landlord’s gonna croak. Hahaha…” As the detective disappeared, his lingering laugh remained. I let out a tired chuckle before collapsing onto the floor, exhausted from all my wounds.

                _‘It’s over…’_ I thought tiredly.

                _‘Yes. And thank God.’_ Eubuleus agreed. A bright light shined somewhere above me, and I saw a pair of velvet blue boots step down in front of me. A cheerful voice greeted me.

                “I saw everything Caius. You did very well. How do you feel?” I turned my head a bit so that I can see Elizabeth and smirked at her.

                “You know… not bad.”


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                _‘What an odd gathering we are…’_

_‘Strike a match. I’ll bet you ten to one that the room would spontaneously combust.’_ Eubuleus joked at the back of my head.

_‘Har har.’_ I laughed dryly, unamused. The negative tension in the meeting room was just too strong. Minazuki shifted his weight a bit next to me, his expression relaxed but his body also reacting to the tension. In front of us, the Shadow Operatives sat in various chairs and couches, most of them staring at Minazuki and me with stony expressions. The only exceptions were Narukami, who had a calm and collected expression, and Mitsuru, who was looking down contemplatively.

Elizabeth floated in front of me, facing the Shadow Operatives and casually flipping through her grimoire. After a few flips of the pages, she twisted around and smiled at me, a glowing card in her hand. Looking at the card, I noticed Ghoul’s image on the card and smiled. Lifting my head, my eyes flitted towards the corner of the room, where a man dressed in a formal suit holding a briefcase stood. His eyes darted alertly across the room, completely aware of the volatile atmosphere.

                _Glad to see I’m not the only one noticing that… However the atmosphere shouldn’t be what I’m worrying about right now…_ Taking my attention off the antagonistic Persona-users in front of me, I looked down at my feet in contemplation.

                It has been a few days since I defeated my Shadow. The Shadow Operatives have just recovered from their encounter against Grandmaster. And in the last few days, Elizabeth had recounted to me the actions of SEES which resulted in the disappearance of Tartarus. Knowing that, I could slowly see what Elizabeth’s contract was about.

                _‘The boy who sacrificed himself to keep Death at bay… Not that I would mind fulfilling such a contract, but why would she need me specifically? By all means, she seems to be on quite good terms with all the Shadow Operatives. Surely they provide much more muscle than I ever could…’_

_‘You reckon she has you in as extra muscle? I mean, the more the merrier, right?’_ Eubuleus spoke up.

_‘Possible, but not likely. From what she told us, the kid Minato is not trapped by something that we can simply force open. It’s the general wish for Death within humanity’s mind that’s keeping him locked up. I doubt a death-seeker like me would be able to free him from humanity’s death wish. And in addition to all that, she keeps on pulling Grandmaster into the whole mess. I don’t even know what to think anymore.’_

_‘Well hopefully you’ll be answered soon, she did call this meeting once the Shadow Ops all recovered.’_

Nodding to myself, I looked up as Mitsuru stood up from her chair.

                “Elizabeth, it is my understanding that you have something that you want to discuss with us all.” Mitsuru paused for a bit while Elizabeth nodded. “However, there is something else that I would have to present to the rest of the Shadow Operatives first, if you wouldn’t mind.” Finishing her sentence, she looked at me pointedly before turning her gaze back to Elizabeth.

                The elevator attendant merely smiled pleasantly and nodded, indicating the Empress to continue while blatantly ignoring the unspoken request from Mitsuru. An awkward silence fell over the room for few seconds before Mitsuru cleared her throat and turned towards the Shadow Operatives.

                “Well, as I’m sure that most of you are aware, although the Shadow Operatives are more independent then the other police agencies, we still occasionally receive objectives from the National Police. I have received notice this morning that the National Police have decided to issue such an objective.” Standing aside, she gestured at the man standing at the corner of the room, beckoning him forward. Looking at him, I realized that he was the same man that debriefed the Shadow Operatives right before the Sumaru City raid.

                “Thank you Kirijo-san,” The man answered curtly as he stepped forward. “I see that you all have plenty to discuss later on so I would make this brief. There has been a peak of Apathy Syndrome occurrences within the last few weeks. This time, however, the occurrences have been scattered evenly across all of Japan.” Opening his briefcase, the representative pulled out a map and unrolled it on the coffee desk. It was a map of Japan which had various marks scattered all over it.

                “Each of those markers represent one Apathy Syndrome incident. As you can see, there is no clear center of activity for this occurrence. As such, we suspect that this is much direr event than the Sumaru City situation. The higher echelons of the National Police have decided that this incident would be of the highest priority.” The representative lifted his head and eyed each of us carefully. “I, for one, am under the impression that all of you know exactly what is causing this, and that this message that I am ordered to is actually quite inane. But nevertheless, orders are orders: Stop whatever is causing this. Failure is not an option.”

                “We understand.” Kirijo answered. “Don’t worry, we will not fail.” The representative sighed for a moment before standing straight.

                “Kirijo-san… I am a senior operative under the Japanese National Police, with fifteen years of work experience under my belt. To me, all of you are but kids. As a senior public servant, and most importantly as an adult, it gives me a bad twist in the guts to be thinking that the fate of our world might lie upon sending young people into battle, and that I, an adult, am incapable of doing anything to help in your battles.” After saying that, the representative snapped into a salute towards Kirijo, the Shadow Operatives, and even towards Minazuki and me. Surprised, we all stood up only for the representative to step forward and offer a handshake to Kirijo.

                The representative went down the line and shook the hand of every Persona-user in the room. As he shook my hand, he looked at me intently for a split second. I felt a piece of paper being slipped into my palm. As the representative moved on to Sho, I quietly pocketed the piece of paper after glancing at it. It looked like a business card to some office building. The words “National PD” was scribbled on the top.

                _The National Police…What game are you playing?_ I thought to myself as the representative packed up the map into his briefcase and left the room. As the door clicked shut, Mitsuru let out a low sigh before turning towards the rest of us in the room.

                “So now we know that Grandmaster’s plans doesn’t merely involve us, but the world in general…” Sighing, the Empress rubbed her temple with a finger, “Incident after incident… After all this time, we still failed to stop the world from sinking into such crisis…” Akihiko stood up and placed a hand on Mitsuru’s shoulder, to which the Empress smiled and placed her hand on top of his.

                “Don’t sweat it Mitsuru. It’s not like we haven’t faced such odds before.” The boxer said, stretching his neck, loud pops and cracks coming from his joints. “We’ll just face it like we did Nyx and Erebus.”

                “What I don’t understand, however…” Yosuke’s voice rang up. I sighed silently while pinching the bridge of my nose.

                ‘ _Here it comes…’_

_‘Well, was it really avoidable?’_ Eubuleus rationalized, but sounded just as exasperated as I was.

                “…What I don’t understand is why THEY are sitting here with us, and not behind bars!” Yosuke stuck a finger at me. “Both of them helped Grandmaster, and killed a bunch of people, for God’s sake! Why are we letting them sit here like nothing has happened?!”

                 “I’ll tell you why, Hanamura.” Before anyone can react to Yosuke’s outburst, Kirijo cut him off. “Because Elizabeth told me earlier that if Minazuki and Caius are not allowed to participant in the battle against Grandmaster as free combatants, she will not take part in the battle either. Hanamura, you were struck down by Grandmaster without even being able to react. Without the help of Elizabeth, do you really think that we stand a fighting chance against Grandmaster?”

                “I-” Yosuke opened his mouth to argue, closed it, and then pointed at me once more. “But I can’t trust him! He has already betrayed us once, and I’d rather die than fight with him again!”

“I thought we made it clear that I never betrayed you or the Shadow Operatives, Hanamura-san.” I replied coldly. “I was discharged honorably and entered the employment of another faction. Murder and being a mercenary are crimes that I have committed, but don’t just shove crimes upon me because you don’t like me. Isn’t that how you almost missed the true culprit behind the Midnight Channel, not just once, but twice? You never learn do you?”

                “You piece of sh-!” Yosuke jumped on his feet and started advancing on me, but Tatsumi grabbed him by the collar and held him down. The Magician struggled violently while still trying to get to me. “Let me go Kanji! I’m gonna choke that son of a bitch-!”

                “Calm down Yosuke-sempai.” Tatsumi grimaced as he tried to rein in the struggling Magician. “We’ve got much bigger fish to fry than him.”

                “Doesn’t matter! I can’t abide… how can you all know his crimes and just _sit_ there?! And you!” Jerking his head back, Hanamura jabbed a finger at Elizabeth, “How can you _protect_ him? Of all people! You evil bitc-!” Before he can finish his sentence, Chie stood up from her seat at the side and walked towards the struggling Magician.

                _*slap*_

The sound of the slap rang clearly through the room. I blinked a few times in surprise as Hanamura’s head snapped back, a red handprint clearly on his face. Chie wiped her palms together before looking at the Magician.

“Yosuke, can’t you see what’s happening? This is no longer about who we trust anymore! If we do not allow them to fight with us, we just can’t win against Grandmaster! We need all the help we can get!”

Yosuke looked like he still wanted to argue, but Shirogane cut him off.

“As much as I dislike this, I also agree with Kirijo-san’s decision. If we accept the help of Minazuki and Caius, we have at most 50% chance of them betraying us. In the 50% that they do not betray us, we will have a fair fighting chance against Grandmaster. If we do not accept their help, Elizabeth-san would not join the fray as well, and we will undoubtedly fall.”

“But do we really need them to stand a fighting chance?” Another voice rang up from the back of the room. Craning my neck, I saw Junpei sitting at the back of the room. The man was relaxed, but his eyes glinted with heavy distaste. “Those of us who were in SEES managed to fight the Nyx Avatar on equal grounds, and we also defeated Erebus. Those who were involved in the Midnight channel incident took down a few gods of their own as well. Sure, Grandmaster took us by surprise last time, but I’m sure now we know what tricks he got up his sleeve we can take him.”

Elizabeth’s tinkling laugh rang through the room. Everyone’s gaze focused upon the elevator attendant as she doubled over, giggles shaking her body. After a minute or two of laughing, Elizabeth regained her composure and looked up to Junpei.

“Forgive my manners, I was just amused that you mentioned Erebus in comparison to Grandmaster. Perhaps I should shed some light on Grandmaster’s identity so that you can make a more informed decision.” Hearing that, I bolted upright.

“What? You know something about Grandmaster?!”

“A little bit.” Elizabeth replied cheerfully, smiling at me. “I don’t know for sure, but I’ve gathered a few hints here and there. Mostly it was thanks to you.” I did a double take at that.

_What?!_ Elizabeth giggled at my incredulous expression.

“When I first met you at the bar, I was intrigued by the advice you gave me. Nobody I have met before has advised me to simply drop the problem and wait for a good solution to appear, yet your answer seemed to make sense, strangely. I also sensed the second consciousness of a Persona within you, so I decided that I would observe your path as I took a break from freeing my previous guest.” My brow furrowed as I thought back to the first night I met Elizabeth.

_‘How long has she been working on this conflict without us knowing? I’m used to being a pawn, but this game of chess is way bigger than I imagined…’_

_‘Would it have really mattered though?’_ Eubuleus commented. I chuckled and shrugged.

“If you told me this before I worked for Grandmaster, I would’ve been somewhat freaked out. Now I won’t be surprised at anything when it comes to you immortals.” Elizabeth crossed her legs the other way as she floated, a floating tarot cards hiding her small smile.

“Well, you did not disappoint. Your path after our meeting crossed with a few of my old acquaintances, to my pleasant surprise.” Elizabeth waved a hand airily at Aigis, “And after you fell out with them you came across Grandmaster fairly quickly, which brings me to my main point.

“While you busy doing Grandmaster’s biddings, I was busy observing him. He was careful and elusive, but I finally managed to grab his trail while you were combating Kunino-Sagiri. No matter how powerful he is and how low Marie is on the pecking order of the gods, he cannot simply subdue and kidnap her with any kind of stealth. That would be far too degrading towards the title of ‘God’ or ‘Goddess’.” A loud gasp rang up from the Shadow Operatives as I raised an eyebrow.

_‘So that’s why Marie-chan didn’t come after us, and why Grandmaster didn’t appear until after Kunino-Sagiri was subdued.’_

_‘Yeah, and why she disappeared right after the Namatame job.’_ Beside me, Narukami bolted up straight, his expression alarmed.

“You mean to say that Grandmaster _kidnapped_ Marie?!”

“Yes, I saw it myself. Not quite exciting when the fight is so one-sided, but it wasn’t my time to intervene yet.” Elizabeth replied lightly. Narukami grimaced and ground his teeth, looking as though he wanted to argue again, but then shook his head and sat down. At the side, Aigis opened her mouth, and then closed it as if reconsidering. The Shadow Operative’s expressions were a strange mix of anger, shock, and confusion.

“Anyways,” Elizabeth continued, unfazed by the tense atmosphere, “after subduing Marie, he started visiting a very special place: The Sea of Souls. The Golden Gates.” This time, half the Shadow Operatives have jumped onto their feet.

“What?!” Takeba’s voice stood out from the chorus of surprised cries, her voice slightly breaking. “He’s in front of Minato? What is he doing there?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know.” Elizabeth answered, looking unsure for the first time. “I couldn’t observe him stealthily within the Sea of Souls, so I avoided going there when he was present. I am worried though, because he has been spending more and more time there.”

“Haha…” Junpei laughed nervously, “Is… Is there any chance that that that dude just wanted to, y’know, do something that is not related to Minato or something?” Facing everyone’s incredulous looks, the Magician raised his hands. “Hay, just trying to cover all corners!”

“Sadly that is not possible.” Elizabeth said sadly. “I am positively sure that whatever Grandmaster has in plan, it is not beneficial to the Great Seal. All of you remember when Grandmaster saved Caius and Sho from Narukami, right?”

“Yeah, a giant-ass Shadow just flew out of nowhere and took the hit. After the dust settled, we just saw this bandaged freak standing right there.” Tatsumi growled.

“And none of you recognized the shadow that took the hit?” Elizabeth asked. Most of the Shadow Operatives shook their heads. “Understandable. After all, it was just for a split second, but it would shed a lot of light upon Grandmaster’s identity…” Elizabeth closed her grimoire, and stepped onto the floor. Her expression lost all traces of laughter, instead becoming dead serious. I felt a shiver run down my spine as the room seemed to lower a few degrees in temperature.

“He summoned Erebus, the grand manifestation of humanity’s wish for death.” A shocked silence went through the room as the new piece of information sunk in. Elizabeth crossed her arms and slightly shivered, showing slight signs of fear and trepidation for the first time.

“After the incident of the Abyss of Time, I have kept a close vigil upon the Great Seal. I killed Erebus many times over, and have closely observed its regeneration. Its regeneration is not a simple process, usually taking a full year to accomplish, and Erebus himself is a being that would take some effort to kill, even from one such as me. Yet Grandmaster managed to summon Erebus twice within a span of no more than fifteen minutes, and uses him merely as cannon fodder…” Elizabeth looked up towards the Shadow Operatives.

“When I stepped in to save you from Grandmaster, I thought that I could take him on in a fight, but now I’m not so sure. He is almost certainly the being that indirectly causes the necessity of the Great Seal, the being that ensures that Erebus would never be permanently defeated…”

“And that means that if we take him down, Minato would come back?” Takeba said with an excited voice. Aigis also perked up at the side.

“Removing Grandmaster would free Minato, in theory…” Elizabeth spoke edgily, “But the power required to match Grandmaster in power would be far beyond what any of us possess. I have a feeling that it will require the efforts of everyone, including Caius and Minazuki, for us to stand a fighting chance against Grandmaster.”

“Which is why you won’t join us unless we allow Minazuki and Caius to join the fight as free combatants.” Kirijo said. Elizabeth nodded in response.

“We need all the power we can get. And I also owe Caius this much at least, him being the one who led me to this discovery.”

“Why Elizabeth-san? Even for a personal favor, you seem to be vouching a lot for Caius. Is he really worth all your attention?” Aigis asked. Elizabeth smiled.

                “No matter what you say, he still represents an aspect of humanity that strives to achieve something, only for different reasons. And also, you are the champions of humanity. If you cannot accept the help of a previous foe even for the sake of humanity, then you are not the champions that I would stand next to in a fight. Time has no hold on me, and I would simply wait for the next generation of champions to combat Grandmaster, and hope that they would be more open-minded.”

                Aigis nodded, comprehension dawning on her face. Junpei sighed in resignation and fell back onto his seat. Yosuke frowned but kept his mouth shut. Half of the Shadow Operatives seemed to be trembling in excitement, with Yukari actually quietly sobbing. I frowned and looked away.

                _‘What, can’t face sorrow Caius?’_ Eubuleus taunted in my mind.

                _‘Hmph. Pulling a trigger is easy as long as you don’t have to stay around for the aftermath. You were there the whole time, and did I ever stay long enough for the body to be found?’_

_‘No… I get you. Seeking death is not the same as reveling in sorrow… yet they are so intricately connected…’_

_‘Doesn’t the whole human society run upon such irony? People crying for death of those they hate, yet not willing to look at the bloody aftermath and the mourning of friends and families?’_

_‘True… true… that’s why mercs exist, no?’_

“So what is the plan, Elizabeth? Without the Abyss of Time, you are our only way to the Golden Gates.” Kirijo’s question pulled me out of my contemplations. Elizabeth was floating once more, flipping through her grimoire again.

                “Yes, of course. All of you have just recovered from Apathy Syndrome, so we will go confront Grandmaster the day after tomorrow. We shall meet here during the Dark Hour, and enter the television world. From there, I can teleport you all to the Sea of Souls.” Kirijo nodded.

                “Thank you Elizabeth-san. Is there anything else we need to know?”

                “No, not anything concerning Grandmaster. If we are surprised by anything, it would surprise me just as much as it would surprise you.”

                “Fair enough. Then this meeting is adjourned.” With a curt nod, Misturu dismissed the Shadow Operatives, who started walking out. I looked towards Elizabeth, who seemed totally engrossed within her grimoire. She was floating silently, staring down at the leather bound book intensely.  I turned to leave, and paused.

                She was staring at the book. Not reading, but _staring_.

                Everyone else has left the room already, even Minazuki, who excused himself muttering that he had quite a lot to consider. It seemed like I was the only one who realized that Elizabeth was acting weird. My brows furrowed as I turned back towards the elevator attendant.

                “Elizabeth… are you okay?”

                “I’m fine. Just looking through the Personas.” She answered in a crisp voice. I raised an eyebrow as her brisk tone.

                _Okay, now there’s definitely something wrong with her…_

“Well, since we’ve got two days before the finale, anything you want to talk about?” I asked while walking closer. As I approached, I caught a glimpse within her grimoire. It was open on the page depicting Orpheus. “C’mon, penny for your thoughts.” Elizabeth giggled at the phrase.

                “A penny is hardly a viable price for my thoughts, but I think I’ll take you up on your offer.” She looked back down on the Fool Persona. “I was just wondering… how did they do it?”

                “Hmm?”

                “The blue-haired boy… Arisato… and Narukami… How did they manage to forge and maintain so many bonds in the span of a year?” Elizabeth looked up at me, and I noticed that he eyes were slightly red. “And how did I end up ‘evil’, when all I wanted to do was to protect a friend…?”

                I paused for a second, eyes wide, as Hanamura’s earlier words rang through my ears once more:

                _“How can you protect him? Of all people! You evil bitc-!”_

_‘Is that what she’s worried about? Is she that emotionally fragile…?’_ I wondered to myself, at a loss for words.

                _‘Her power does not equal experience, Caius.’_ Eubuleus reminded me. _‘Given what we know about her, it wouldn’t really be a stretch to assume that she has not had people talk to her like that before. After all, who would dare insult a goddess?’_

_‘Powerful Persona-users… who happen to be friends with one who she values… Oh Jesus Christ Hanamura you tactless idiot…’_

_‘Not to mention she’s also a Wild Card, which means she has the same general emotions and feelings as humans do. And add the fact that she has not experienced first-hand the uglier aspects of humanity…’_

_‘She literally has not met major conflicts that she can’t directly fight. She’s been a deux ex machina for so long… Oh god, mentally she’s just a child… an all-powerful, immortal, god-like child, but a child nevertheless…’_ Thinking that, I let out a low sigh.

                “You did not end up ‘evil’, Elizabeth. ‘Evil’ is a strong word that is only thrown around by those who do not comprehend its true meaning. There is no such thing as truly ‘evil’, as far as most human beings are concerned.”

                “But I’m not--” Before she can reply, I stepped forward and placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.

                “You’re human Elizabeth. You might be something completely different in a biological sense, and you might lack most social understandings that humans have, but you retain the most important thing that is shared between all humans. Your will.”

                “What separates humans from Shadows is that we have a will, while Shadows have only intuition. The will to love, the will to hate, the will to create and destroy, the will to survive. You have that ‘will’ too, or else you would never have started the task to help Minato.”

                Elizabeth reached up and pulled my finger off from her lips, but keeping hold of my hand.

                “But how did Arisato and Narukami manage it? They only had a year and forged so many bonds, while several months have passed for me and I only forged a few…”

                “Well that’s why they’re considered heroes and miracle makers within their groups, right? If it was easy to do what they did, it would be an insult to the power of the Wild Card. And plus, I would not want you to be like Minato anyway. I’m not sure that freeing you from the Great Seal can be done within one human lifetime, and I would miss having an all-powerful beauty looking over my shoulder.” Elizabeth chuckled.

                “Why, Caius, within my observations of you that’s the closest you ever have come giving a compliment and expressing gratitude! That’s quite an improvement on your end.” I coughed, feeling my face heat up.

                “Shut up. You’ve been hanging around me for too long, you used to be nicer than this. Just take the dam compliment.” The two of us shared a laugh. “So are you feeling alright now? People throw around insults all the time, even the good guys. Don’t let it hit you too hard.” Elizabeth nodded and resumed floating, and started flipping through her grimoire once more. Two cards of the Death Arcana arose from the pages, one of Ghoul, the other of Thanatos.

                “Sometimes Caius, I wonder how you’d fare if Fate gave you the Wild Card ability.” I laughed and shook my head as I turned to leave.

                “Nah, if I were a Wild Card, I’d be the most tragic one yet. People die around me too often. Death and I just seem to have this little tango we like to do.”

                “Didn’t stop Minato.” I snorted.

                “True, true…” Pausing with my hand on the doorknob, I turned around to Elizabeth. “I think there’s a bar around here. You want to meet up tonight and have a drink? Just like old times?”

                “Is that a date?” Elizabeth teased. I chuckled.

                “Think of it what you will. I’ll meet you later.”


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                Groaning, I opened my eyes and sat up. I was dressed in a hoodie and jeans and lying on the bed assigned to me by the hospital.

_‘Uhhh…. What the hell happened last night? I remember going out with Elizabeth and then…’_

_‘I remember casting Amrita on you a few times, but I don’t quite remember what happened after then…’_

 “Oh, you woke up?” A cheerful voice greeted me. Raising my head, I saw Elizabeth casually floating at the corner of the room, her grimoire set on the desk beside her. She was looking down at something in her hands, scribbling on it with her brows furrowed in concentration.

“Elzabeth…” I paused as another bout of dizziness assailed me and I closed my eyes until it passed. “What happened last night?”

“Well, we went to a bar, and you showed me something very interesting…” Elizabeth answered in a teasing tone. I raised an eyebrow warily.

“And what exactly did I show you that was so interesting?”

“You forgot?” Elizabeth looked at me with an expression of mock hurt. “How could you? Such a display of manliness is very unforgettable to either parties…”

_WHAT?!_ I bolted upright in shock at what Elizabeth said, only to be hit with yet another bout of dizziness before collapsing onto the mattress again. Elizabeth’s tinkling laugh rang through the room.

“Don’t joke around with me Elizabeth.” I pleaded weakly as I waited for the dizziness to pass. “What exactly happened last night?”

“Hmhmhm…” The elevator attendant hummed merrily as the sound of a pencil scratching against paper continued. “Why are you asking me? I do believe that the memories would be returning any time now… Ah well, might as well guide them along then. We stayed in the bar well past the Dark Hour…” As Elizabeth spoke, blurry images started forming in my mind as the memories were prompted to return.

_I downed another glass of whiskey as Elizabeth’s laugh rang through the bar. The elevator attendant was leaning back on her seat, a rosy glint on her cheeks. I lifted the bottle standing in front of me, tilting my head as I found the bottle empty. Raising my head, I called out for the bartender, only to fall silent once confronted by a coffin. Looking around, the crowded bar was filled with coffins under the eerie green moon._

“Well, then of course the Shadows appeared. Nothing that the two of us couldn’t handle anyway, but I found your style of combat quite intriguing. It’s much more wild and uncontrolled than that of the others, yet you seem to work more closely with your Persona than any other Persona-user I’ve seen…”

_I laughed, exhilarated as splatters of shadowy ichor flew past my face. Leaping into the air, I spun around, guns flaring and blade flashing, rejoicing in the screams of Shadows surrounding me. Angelic Grace flowed through me, guiding my limbs in a quick flurry of movements. Behind me, Eubuleus danced a mad dance, sending countless Shadows down to their icy graves._

_A bit of at the corner of the bar, Elizabeth floated casually, observing my fight as Thanatos slashed left and right around her, scattering the Shadows with a roar. A Gigas rushed towards the elevator attendant, fists raised high. With a flash, Thanatos was upon it, impaling it through the chest with its blade._

“And then, your power levels increased all of a sudden. It was an interesting phenomenon, really. A shame that I was somewhat occupied at the exact moment that it happened…”

_The Shadow died screaming as I axe kicked it from the air. Turning around, I saw several Shadows swarm towards Thanatos The Persona roared, its body crackling with electricity, sending the mass of Shadows flying back screaming. I let out a laugh at the display of power and caught Elizabeth’s eye._

_Then I froze._

_A single Shadow, a Halberie, was lurking behind the counter, unseen by the Elevator attendant. My eyes widened as the Shadow struck. Elizabeth noticed at the last moment, swinging her grimoire around to block the Shadow’s strike, easily sending the Shadow flying back. My breath caught as I noticed a few droplets of blood leak from her cheek._

_Oh no you didn’t…_

_A red haze fell over my eyes as I lifted a palm towards the Halberie, fog pouring out around my body. Behind me Eubuleus laughed an angry laugh as power surged through both of us. A glowing ball of energy focused in my outstretched palm._

“Well, in terms of energy output it was a far cry from a Wild Card’s full potential, yet still very impressive for a non- Wild Card…”

_As the energy within my palm reached its critical point, I saw magic runes appear on the walls. Elizabeth had her hand on her grimoire, muttering quietly to herself. Her eyes were shining with interest. But that wasn’t important to me. What was important was that slit on her cheek, still leaking droplets of blood._

_I turned back to the Halberie, and half a dozen Shadows around it. I want blood. Blood and death. I pointed my palm towards them, the glowing ball of energy at its critical point. The magic runes along the walls engulfed me, Elizabeth, and all the Shadows around us, transporting us to areas unknown. But that’s the last thing on my mind right now._

_“ **Nebula Oculus.** ”_

“Uhh…” I groaned, holding a hand up to my head. After that there was only the memory of a blinding flash of light and a giant headache. “Please tell me I didn’t create a crater in the street or something…”

“No, you didn’t. I managed to teleport us to the TV world right before you unleashed the strike. However, you did destroy a perfectly fine bathhouse.”

“I… what?” I blinked, unable to comprehend. “I destroyed… a bathhouse? In the TV world?”

_‘Huh, reminds me of a Miyazaki film…’_ Eubuleus mused in the back of my head.

“Yes.” Elizabeth deadpanned before returning to her scribbling. I waited for a few seconds for her to elaborate, but the elevator attendant kept silent. Shrugging to myself, I crawled out of my bed and trudged over to the counter where a simple coffee maker stood.

_‘As expected of the special care room of a Kirijo-run hospital. It has all the luxuries of a hotel room.’_ I commented as I filled it with water to boil.

_‘Huh. I’m pretty sure that it was never meant for you.’_

_‘Obviously, but with Elizabeth backing us Kirijo can only choke it down.’_

Both of us chuckled at the image of Kirijo, in all her royal grandeur, grinding her teeth at the image of a murdering mercenary enjoying her coffee in one of her best hospital rooms.

The coffee cooker beeped, and a stream of steaming black liquid poured out into the mug I placed under the nozzle. I took a deep breath and smiled at the smell of hot coffee, reaching out for cream and sugar.

_‘Hmm… I never truly appreciated coffee before. Funny how it takes several brushes with death for me to fully appreciate life.’_

_‘Wasn’t that the whole point of you re-accepting me?’_ Eubuleus asked, and I grunted in affirmation.

An annoyed noise from Elizabeth drew my attention, and I walked over to her corner coffee in hand. The elevator attendant was erasing something furiously with an annoyed scowl. Raising an eyebrow, I looked over her shoulder as I sipped at my coffee.

It was a sketch of a boy in a school uniform, holding an evoker against his temple. His head of blue hair would have covered one eye, but a draft was blowing his hair upwards, exposing both eyes. The cobalt orbs have a crazed look in them, which was matched by the slightly power-hungry smile that his mouth was twisted in.

_‘Smoking barrel, diluted pupils, crazed expression… yep, a Persona awakening.’_

_‘Sure brings back memories, huh.’_

_‘Yeah…’_ I trailed off as I remembered the surge of energy of a Persona awakening after months of experimentation by Ikutsuki. The feeling that you can finally _control_ your life.

Shaking my head to clear it of stray thoughts, I turned to Elizabeth.

“Nice sketch. Who is it?” The elevator attendant paused her irritated scribbling, her eyes sad.

“The one we’re attempting to save.” I paused, looking down at the boy in the picture with a new set of eyes.

_Minato Arisato… the boy who holds back Death…_ I looked over to Elizabeth, who was looking at the picture sadly. _Not only Elizabeth, the rest of SEES also mourns your death. Every last one of them. The sacrifice dies, and the survivors mourn. When it comes down to it, you were presented with a choice: To die a regretless death, or to live a regretful, or ignorant, life._

_They praise you as a hero, but you’re not a hero for the reasons they claim. You’re a hero because you gained enough power to be presented with that choice. The choice you made was one that any soldier with the will to fight would make. I salute you, Minato Arisato, not as a hero, but as a fellow soldier._

Elizabeth’s irritated noises draws my attention back to her. The elevator attendant was erasing furiously again. Looking closely, I saw that the problem was Arisato’s hand that was holding the evoker. The fingers were positioned unnaturally, no matter how Elizabeth tried to draw it. I smiled to myself.

“Need some help?” I offered. Elizabeth looked up at me, slightly surprised.

“You know how to draw?”

“Little bit.” Placing the coffee mug onto the counter, I reached down and took Elizabeth’s hand in my own, guiding her hand to the blank space where Arisato’s hand was. “Here, the hand is really hard to draw, since the skeletal structure is weird. The first thing you do is to sketch out a skeletal outline…”

The elevator attendant blushed slightly as I guided her hand in drawing a clenched fist over the evoker hilt. Eubuleus chuckled in satisfaction in the back of my head. A soft breeze came in through the windor, and I paused my instructions, closing my eyes and exhaling as the soft breeze caressed my face.

_‘Such a beautiful day of peace…’_

_‘Enjoy it while you can.’_ Eubuleus cautioned. _‘We might lose it all tomorrow.’_

_‘Wasn’t this true for our whole life?’_ Without waiting for my Persona to respond, I returned my attention to coaching Elizabeth how to draw. Just like how _she_ taught me…

* * *

 

                The next day saw me, Elizabeth, and Minazuki walking into the conference room where the rest of the Shadow Operatives waited. Kirijo nodded slightly as the door clicked shut behind us. Yosuke grunted in annoyance and looked away, while Junpei looked at us sideways with slight distain. Naoto glanced at me and rolled her eyes as Narukami merely smiled tightly and patted his lover’s head. The Shadow Operatives were all dressed and armed, while the SEES half had a determined glint in their eyes.

                “So you’re here.” Kirijo stood up, rapier hanging from her belt. “Shall we go then?” Elizabeth nodded and gestured towards the TV.

                “Let us venture into the TV world first. From there I have a better chance to moving us into the sea of souls.” Nodding, the Shadow Operatives stood up and started walking towards the TV. I walked over and stood right in front of the screen, next to Kirijo. The heiress looked at me inquiringly.

                “I’ll go right after you. Sign of good faith.” I explained. Kirijo nodded curtly before stepping forward, slipping through the screen. I waited until the ripples died down before leaping up and jumping feet first into the TV screen.

                The familiar scene of the serene TV world greeted me as I landed heavily on my feet. As soon as I landed, I swiftly rolled forwards, and not a moment too soon as Akihiko came hurtling down and landing directly where I was standing. I stood back as the boxer reoriented himself and stood next to his finance. I crossed my arms as one by one the Shadow Operatives descended into this dimension, with Minazuki and Elizabeth being the last.

                Once everyone was there, Elizabeth stepped forward and opened her grimoire in preparation to cast the spell.

                “You all know the full ramifications of what we’re about to do, correct?” The elevator attendant asked. “We’re not just saving Minato, we’re also facing Grandmaster. If he truly is what I believe him to be, his role in this world’s current state is much more extensive than any of us would know. He might even have a hand in the start of all your previous adventures as well…”

                “Really? You have got to be kidding me. There’s no way he could’ve been there planning out our Tartarus adventures all these years ago.” Junpei scoffed.

                “Don’t be so sure Iori. Ikutsuki was merely human, yet he spun a plan that entrapped all of us for years.” Kirijo retorted, eyes grim. “As a God, Grandmaster must have had more time to observe, learn, and plan. We must be vigilant.” Junpei nodded.

                “Are you ready then?” Elizabeth asked. The Shadow Operatives nodded. Satisfied with their responses, the elevator attendant placed a hand on the pages of her grimoire, summoning magical runes that started enveloping Minazuki, me, and all of the Shadow Operatives. I closed my eyes in preparation for the blinding flash that came with her teleportation. I grimaced as the flare stung its way through my eyelids, but the light faded as soon as it started.

                I opened my eyes and blinked at the sight before me. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that I was in space, with all the stars and constellations around me. But as it was, I was quite obviously not in space. For starters, space doesn’t have a set of giant golden gates standing around. On the gates was the crucified form of a boy, bound in barbed wires. From a distance I can’t make out his face, but I assume it’s Arisato’s current form.

                Two giant figures stood on either side of the gate. One was a giant Shadow in the form of a two-headed dog, both its jaws twisted in a crazed grin at us. On the other end a giant crimson skeletal figure with multiple arms knelt, strands of bloodied bandages surrounding it, a smaller skeleton torso and head sticking out where the larger head should be. In the middle, right in front of the gates, a familiar figure floated.

                _Grandmaster._ I snarled to myself, my grip on the lupara tightening. Behind the floating figure was a small magical circle with various items littered throughout it. Looking closely, I noticed that it was the items that I fetched for Grandmaster directly before the final fight with the Shadow Operatives.

Our appearance was not unnoticed by those in front of us. The giant dog looked up and snarled at us, only to fall silent as Grandmaster lifted a hand.

                “Not now Erebus. Your power is not enough to push them back, so save your strength and fury.” Erebus growled and crouched down, its four glowing eyes glaring at us. Grandmaster turned back to us. “So… you have decided to come and confront me as a group then? My enemies and my former subordinates.”

                “Don’t get me wrong, it was charming working under you.” I replied wryly. “It’s just the last bit where you tried to strip me of my Persona that soured the relationship.” Before Grandmaster could reply, I heard the slightly surprised voice of Narukami ring up.

                “Marie?” Eyes widening, I spun around and saw Narukami looking wide-eyed at the giant skeleton monster. Looking back, I eyed the skeletal monstrosity with disbelieving eyes.

                _Is this Marie’s true form?!_

                “Y-Yu?!” To my disbelief, the skeletal being looked down and replied with Marie’s voice. “Yu! You have to stop him, he’s planning to-”

“Silence.” Grandmaster cut in calmly before Marie could finish her sentence, and the giant Shadow Goddess fell silent once more. “Do not forget your role and position Izanami.”

“Yes Master.” A deeper, more ominous voice answered. Besides me, Narukami ground his teeth and raised his katana.

“It seems like your appearance has raised some unnecessary emotions in both my current subordinates.” Grandmaster commented in a dead voice. “Emotions are such wasteful things, don’t you think? Life could be so much more efficient without it, don’t you think?”

“Like hell it would be!” Tatsumi roared. “I’ve heard dumbasses like you give that speech over and over and over again! You’re just like every single other fuckin’ manipulative bastard around, and you’re goin’ down!!!” Lifting his shield, the Emperor started charging at Grandmaster, only to get grabbed at the shoulder by Akihiko.

“Slow down. Don’t you remember how easily he downed us last time? Be more careful.” The boxer cautioned at the fuming Tatsumi.

“Unfortunately I can’t replicate the task this time around.” Grandmaster nodded at Elizabeth. “An immortal among your ranks prevent that from happening at my current power level. However, I have something else planned for you, thanks to my former subordinates within your ranks.” I snarled at his praise, a thin layer of fog emitting from my skin.

“What an appropriate response. See, you might have some fog-based skills, but you have no idea what the fogs of memories are truly capable of.” Grandmaster lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. “Izanami, would you kindly?”

“Yes Master.” With a curt response, the Shadow Goddess lifted her arms, summoning a surging mass of fog that surrounded us. All of us tensed up, ready for battle, while Grandmaster’s voice rang in the background.

“Relax. I do not intend to obscure your view during our conflict. You see, this fog doesn’t just cloud the truth, it also houses memories. Just as some say that blood is the currency of the soul, this fog is the currency of memory.” As Grandmaster spoke, the massive pile of fog started focusing upon the magical circle that was drawn on the ground. “And as you can see, with the correct level of focus, this fog can recreate anything and anyone can ever remember…”

As the fog formed a vortex, the magical circle and all the small baubles scattered along it also started glowing, slowly illuminating a human form within the fog. Two firing of evokers were heard as Rise and Yamagishi joined their Personas together.

“This feeling… something is coming out of the fog…” Their conjoined voices intoned. Then, there was a small intake of breath from Yamagishi as her voice alone continued. “I- I sense something! It’s familiar… it... it can’t be…”

As the form within the fog slowly consolidated, I suddenly looked up towards the stone statue of the boy holding the Gates, then down at the various items littered around the circle.

_‘The fog only needs focus to recreate. According to Elizabeth, Arisato lived in the Minatodai Dorms. Grandmaster is using the items stolen in the Minatodai dorms to fuel his magic. And Yamagishi senses something familiar… Oh god… The irony…’_ My eyes slowly widened as I came to the realization. Eubuleus snorted in the back of my head.

_‘Somewhat fitting, don’t you think?’_

Before either of us could commented further, the massive swarm of fog dissipated, allowing the figure to drop and land lightly in front of us. An evoker hung from his hip while his right hand held a short-sword in a lazy fool’s guard. Several intakes of breath rose from the Shadow Operatives.

“Hey guys… It’s been a long time since graduation, right?” Minato Arisato spoke with a small smile, his eyes reflecting a bright yellow.

 


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                It was as if the world had stood still. Darting my eyes between the Shadow Operatives and Minato, I saw that most of SEES, including Kirijo, were staring at Minato’s smile, unable to pull their attentions away. The Fool’s grin widened.

                “What, after 4 years’ time you finally meet your beloved leader again, and all you can do is gap?” Minato asked lightly. “I won’t blame you though… it must’ve been tough on you guys, these 4 years.”

                A blur of movement caught my eye, and I saw Mitsuru’s figure rushing towards Minato, her rapier stabbing forwards swiftly. The blue-haired Fool raised his shortsword at the same time in a jab, knocking Kirijo’s stab aside and placing the tip of his sword in the path of Mitsuru’s charge.

True to her veteran status, the Kirijo heiress shifted aside at the last moment. The Fool’s strike scratched her cheek, releasing a few droplets of blood. Unfazed by the scratch, Kirijo spun a web of steel with her rapier, forcing Minato to retreat. The heiress turned to face the blue-haired Fool, breathing heavily, but not from the physical exertion.

“You… you are not him…” The heiress snarled, breathless, pointing the rapier at Minato. “There’s no way you could be him…” I raised an eyebrow.

_I’ve never seen Kirijo lose her composure like this, even when the Shadow Ops were wiped out by Grandmaster…_ I turned around to look at Minato’s lookalike. _What did you mean to her, Arisato?_

As if answering my unspoken question, Minato smiled warmly before advancing at Kirijo once more, sword held in a lazy fool’s guard.

“What do you mean Mitsuru-san? How can I be anyone else? Don’t tell me you renounced you family appointed fiancé for me just to forget about me…”

As Kirijo’s breath caught, Arisato ducked back as a red blur rushed towards him, throwing several quick jabs and crosses. The Fool skipped back as the blur revealed itself as Akihiko, who unclasped the brooch of his cape. The fabric slid off him, revealing that the boxer wore nothing on his upper body apart from a shoulder holster for his evoker.

“Step back Mitsuru. It’s not him, but it’s getting to your head. Take a breather.” The boxer said before rushing towards Arisato. The Fool smiled before tossing his shortsword over his shoulder and crouching into a boxer’s stance. Arisato’s sword flew over an arc before falling to the floor, sticking hilt up as the boxer reached the Fool.

“Hey Sanada sempai. Long time no see.” The Fool casually remarked as he ducked under the boxer’s punch, jabbing at Akihiko’s ribs. The boxer was unfazed, shifting to a side to deliver another flurry of strikes which the Fool either dodged or blocked.

“How’s your life with Mitsuru? I guess you two fit well with each other after all. She’s strong, but sometimes she still needs protecting, don’t you think?” Arisato’s eyes flashed bright yellow as he muttered the next sentence: “Just like your sister, right?”

“Don’t. Mention. Her. Ever.” Akihiko snarled before spinning around and throwing a hard right fist at Minato’s head. The Fool crossed his arms in front of his face, protecting himself from the brunt of the attack that sent him hurtling backwards.

The boxer charged after the flying Fool, rage in his eyes, fist raised high in preparation for another strike. However, Minato, still flying through the air, managed to grab the hilt of his short sword that was sticking out from the ground. Using the sword as a point of leverage, the Fool swung around and planted his feet onto Akihiko’s chest, sending the boxer flying back in turn with a strong kick.

A howl rang out behind me, and I spun around to see a giant three-headed dog shimmering behind Koromaru. No, not a dog. A Persona.

**Agidyne**.

A fiery explosion occurred right where Minato was standing, stopping him from further advancing on the boxer. The smoke was swept aside as the glowing form of Messiah swung around with his chain of coffins, evidently having just protected his owner from the blast. As the mighty Persona disappeared, the clashing of steel could be heard.

Ken’s face was a mask of determination as he thrust, swept, and parried with his halberd, but even with the weapon’s extra reach he could not breach Minato’s defenses. In contrast to Ken’s expression, the Fool’s face was quite serene, even slightly bored as he parried all of Ken’s attacks.

“Hey Ken-kun. Huh, all grown up now, huh? Quite the bishonen, seems that puberty has cleaned you up quite nicely.” The Fool commented as he exchanged furious blows with Amada. “Couldn’t resist but to jump out right? If I remember correctly, it was you who taught me that move that I used to repel Sanada senpai…”

“This one, right?” Jumping up high in the air, Ken did a flip and jabbed his halberd downwards towards Minato.

The Fool easily sidestepped, allowing the halberd’s tip to sink deep into the ground. Using the halberd as leverage, Ken swung his body around to deliver a strong kick towards Minato’s side, the same way that the Fool did to Akihiko. However, the kick never landed, as Minato leant back and allowed his body to fall, narrowly avoiding the kick. A smile briefly flashed on the Fool’s face.

“Nice one. You’ve improved the move I see. But still-” As he spoke, the Fool swung his sword around, sending it in an arcing slash towards Ken’s ribs. “You can’t do anything about the massive opening you provide when you miss…”

_*clang*_

Minato’s eyes widened at the white blur that jumped between him and Ken, blocking the sword slash with a dagger clamped between its jaws. In a flash, Ken had swung out of danger and stood with his halberd at the ready. The white blur landed next to him, revealing the form of Koromaru. The blue-haired Fool stood up lazily and smiled at the albino shiba inu.

“Koro-chan! Good to see you again. Been such a long time, right?” As he was talking, the Fool pulled out a dog treat from his pocket. “You want a treat, Koro-chan? For old time’s sake?” Koromaru whined uncertainly, the tip of his tail wagging slightly.

                An arrow flew out of nowhere, shattering the dog treat in the Fool’s hand. Minato raised an eyebrow in dull surprise before leaping backwards, barely avoiding a powerful cyclone. Twisting around, I saw Yukari with her bow drawn, Isis slowly fading behind her. The sniper was breathing heavily as if the last shot and spell drained her greatly, but her aim was steady. Minato was looking at her as well, a warm expression on his face.

                “Hey Yukari-chan. I must say you’ve become quite the beautiful woman…” Yukari’s ragged breathing caught in a sharp gasp. “How’s your Mother doing? Does it feel right, reconciling with her?” The _twang_ of bowstrings answered him, and the Fool’s eyes slightly widened at the arrow that sprouted from his shoulder. Laughing lightly, Minatos pulled the arrow out with a spurt of blood. The wound quickly knitted itself back together.

                “ **Regenerate 3.** ” The Fool muttered lightly. “Such a cold welcome after 4 long years apart…”

                “It’s not him. He’s just a Shadow, just like the others…” Takeba muttered to herself as she notched another arrow. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the sniper took aim at the grinning Fool before letting loose the arrow, which was easily deflected by the Fool. Cursing to herself, Takeba whipped out her evoker and shot herself between the eyes, summoning Isis.

                “Isis, **Panta Rhei**!” A giant cyclone formed around Minato, who smiled lazily and pointed his evoker towards his temple. At the point of summoning, a crazed edge entered the Fool’s expression.

                “Messiah.” The shining form of Messiah appeared in front of the Fool, dispelling the cyclone in front of him. Minato then pointed his sword at the Shadow Operatives, a slightly crazed smile on his face. A shining vortex started to materialize above us.

                “Oh no! I’ve seen him use that before, back when he was still…” Fuuka’s voice trailed off as the massive amount of almighty energy congregated above us, before abruptly raising to a scream. “Everyone, scatter and TAKE COVER!!!”

The Shadow Operatives did as she commanded, diving aside. As I hastily summoned Eubuleus to crouch over me, cross raised, multiple evoker shots were heard as various Personas appeared above their owners in similar defensive stances. Only one figure stood unfazed by the sheer amount of force above us.

Peeking up from under the cover of Eubuleus, I saw Elizabeth standing exactly where she was, smiling calmly at the gathering ball of energy. Her grimoire laid open in front of her, the tarot card of the Fool floating between its pages.

“Such parlor tricks can get stuffed!” With that sharp remark, Elizabeth snapped the book shut, crushing the tarot card. With a roar, Thanatos clawed his way out of nothingness behind Elizabeth, rushing towards the gathered energy, fanning his cape of coffins open. At the same time, Minato brought his sword down in a downwards slash.

“ **Morning Star**.” At the Fool’s command, energy surged down, striking  Thanatos. The fearsome Persona roared, deflecting the blow with a tremendous effort. Elizabeth grunted slightly, and smiled.

“You are quite a nice replica, I see.” The elevator attendant muttered, slightly smiling as she lifted her hand. “I now present to you, our grand finale…” As she spoke a swirling ball of energy rose up from her palm, growing in size.

“Paulownia Mall, you saw that Club Escapade was closed and danced on the street instead. Iwatodai Station, you ran the opposite way of the escalator.” The swirling ball of energy in Elizabeth’s palm paused as Minato spoke, its owner staring at the Fool in astonishment. “Naganaki Shrine, somehow you got stuck in the jungle gym. I never found out how. Gekkoukan High, you hid directly behind in order to keep a ‘low profile’. And finally, Minatodai Dorm, where you visited my room…” Minato lifted his head and smiled warmly at the stunned elevator attendant.

“Did I miss anything? Your little escapades at pretending to be anything resembling human…”

“No… these were memories that only he and I… How could you know…?”  Elizabeth muttered to herself. Her golden eyes flitted over and focused on a point within Grandmaster’s magical circle. Twisting around, I saw her eyes settle on a platinum bookmark. “My bookmark…”

_Her bookmark?! But this was found in…_ Eyes widening with the realization, I started looking more carefully at the other items scattered throughout the floor. _But… if this stands true for all the items… they’re not just usual baubles… they’re mementos…_

The sound of gunfire broke through my musings, and a hail of bullets swept the ground between Elizabeth and Arisato. Looking up, I saw Aigis hovering above us, guns trained at Minato. The blue-haired Fool chuckled at the mechanical maiden.

“Aigis… long time no see to you as well.” The Fool calmly greeted Aigis. “How have you been faring?”

“My scanners indicates a lack of biological structure and life signals within you, instead showing a vast abundance of Shadow energy.” Aigis replied. “I am sorry, but you are not him, and it is my mission to destroy you.”

“Oh, scanning me are you? Clever.” Arisato smiled. “Did Kirijo _reprogram_ you to do that?”

“What?!” For a second, Aigis merely hovered in midair, her expression shocked. Arisato let out a calm chuckle before raising his arms apart, as if inviting Aigis to rip him apart with her vast arsenal.

“No matter. Hardly the first time that you aimed your guns at me, right? Like the last time when Ikutsuki pulled that stunt. Do it then.” Arisato lightly taunted the mechanical maiden, who was starting to shake. “I can hardly blame you for it. After all, you’re just a machine.”

“Just… a… machine…” Aigis muttered slowly. Suddenly the mechanical maiden convulsed, violently clutching her head in pain. “I…. I… CAN’T….!” With an anguished scream, Aigis’ rocket pack depowered, and the Anti-Shadow Weapon dropped to the ground, still clutching her head in pain.

“Her emotional processors!” Fuuka cried out. “It’s overloaded and taking up too much of her CPU!”

“Just a machine, yet only human… seems like you picked up the worst of both worlds, Aigis…” Muttering to himself, Minato pushed his evoker against his temple and pulled the trigger. “Satan. Helei.”

The Fool’s head snapped back as if he was just hit with a hand cannon, and two Personas started materializing behind him. My jaws dropped as Eubuleus swore.

_‘Two Personas? What the fucking hell?! Not even Narukami pulled that kind of shit on us!!’_

“E-everyone, take c-cover! I’ve got a really b-bad feeling about this…” Kujikawa’ voice rang in our heads, her voice slightly shaking in fear. An evoker shot was heard behind me.

“Justice would be mine! **Shields of Justice**!” Ethereal riot shields dropped down in front of me. I quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly the Fool doubled up on himself, crossing his arm around a glowing ball of energy that appeared in front of his chest. Minato’s shoulder’s sagged slightly in the effort of sustaining the stress of summoning two Personas, but his expression as he lifted his head sent a shiver down the back of my spine. Suddenly Shirogane’s arcane shields seemed little more than a piece of paper in front of what Minato had in stock.

“ **Armageddon**.” The command was lightly murmured, yet the sound carried all the same. The ground around us glowed, crackling with energy as multiple lightning strikes assailed Shirogane’s shields, battering at them relentlessly.

_*crack*_

My eyes widened at the small glowing crack that appeared on one of the shields, slowly branching and widening. In a flash, I had the muzzle of my evoker pointed against my chin.

“Here goes nothing.” I muttered as I pulled the trigger. “ **Bufudyne**.”

At my command an icy wall formed behind the arcane shields. However before it could completely form, the riot shields shattered with a high pitched tinkle. My eyes followed one of the shattered pieces fly through the air with a sense of finality.

_Well fuck…_

Before the thought even flitted through my mind, a massive force crushed my ice shield like a paper wall, slammed into me and sent me flying. As I hit the ground I rolled several times and ended up in a crouched positon, battered and bruised. I coughed violently, blood trickling from my lips. Shirogane’s shield has blocked the worst of the attack, but what did get through was still powerful enough to knock me to the brink of death.

Looking up, I saw through blurring vision the silhouette of the Fool sagging and panting from the effort of the spell. A badge that was pinned on his jacket flashed, and the Fool’s breath started to smooth out more.

**Invigorate 3. Wizard’s Mark.**

_Shit…_ I thought to myself as I struggled to climb up. A sharp pain flared in my side and I dropped down again, coughing up blood. _Ah shit… That’s a rib… He just needs a short break before he can use that crap again…_

“M- **Mediarahan** …” Yukiko’s voice weakly commanded somewhere behind me. As I felt the healing aura works its magic, I crawled back to my feet with renewed strength. Surveying the battlefield, I saw the Shadow Operatives picking themselves back up left and right. A few of them lay unmoving on the ground until their teammates forced Revival Beads into their mouths.

“Haven’t died huh?” Arisato smirked, pushing his hair back with his hand. “I guess that’s why I still used you guys as battery packs, even though you’re on the front lines so often.”

                My eyes widened in surprise as several gasps rose up around me. The SEES was staring at their former leader in disbelief. But my eyes settled on Narukami. The gray haired Fool didn’t seem at all surprise by what Arisato just said. Instead, there was a hint of fear in his eyes, and I doubted that it was due to what Arisato could physically do.

                “What, did all of you really think I was warm and caring and making _friends_ with all of you? Hah!” Arisato’s mouth twisted into a sneer of disgust, acting completely different from how he was just a short while ago. “I can’t stand any of you, slowing me down in the name of ‘teamwork’! The only reason I even bothered with you is--”

                “Izanagi-no-Okami!” In a flash, Narukami’s Persona was above Minato, ready to strike. Messiah tore his way out of Arisato’s head, and the two Personas clashed. Soon, Narukami himself had caught up, katana flashing as he engaged Arisato in a furious sword fight. The blue-haired Fool’s face twisted into a taunting sneer as he exchanged blows with his gray haired counterpart.

                “Oh, so you’re the one who’s Igor’s guest this time around, right?” Minato taunted. “What’s the big deal? Afraid I’ll tell your friends the true power of the Wild Card? Afraid that your friends would find out exactly why you were friends in the first place?” Narukami stayed silent, but his posture hardened and he sped up his attacks. Arisato merely laughed.

                “Haven’t you told your dearest friends that you’re just using them as power sources?” The blue haired Fool asked, loud enough for everyone to hear.

                “What did he say?” Hanamura asked quietly. Narukami froze, and Arisato kicked the gray-haired Fool in the abdomen. Narukami stumbled back as Arisato flung his arms wide open.

                “THAT is the true power of the Wild Card! It’s not the power to use multiple Personas, but the power of the Social Links! The power to convert people’s love and trust into tangible power!” Minato’s eyes were crazed as he declared loudly. Narukami faced him, katana raised high, but his hands were shaking. “All those times you guys were hanging out and he smiles warmly at you? Did you really think that he was happy because of your friendship? Hah! He was only smiling because of the power he gained from your foolish trust and love!” Dead silence followed his declaration.

                “Sensei…” The Investigation Team were all staring at their leader with disbelief in their eyes. Even Teddie, usually cheerful, was speechless at what Arisato revealed.

                “Is that true, Yu-kun?” Yukiko asked softly. Hearing this, Narukami twisted around to look at his teammates. The gray-haired Fool’s expression crumpled at the sight of his teammates expressions, and as his resolve crumbled, his godly Persona stumbled and was enveloped in a scattering aura. It’s heavenly white cloak was replaced by a normal black trench coat as it devolved.

With a wave of its hand, Messiah easily swatted Izanagi aside, the dark Persona disintegrating as it flew away. Letting out a painful grunt, Narukami fell to his knees, lines of blood leaking from all his orifices. Arisato stood above him, yellow eyes gleaming as he smiled. Taking a deep breath, I surveyed the battlefield.

The Shadow Operatives were scattered. SEES were all looking emotionally crushed, having just heard words of betrayal and condemnation from the lips of their own leader. The Investigation Team was still dumbstruck, trying to process Arisato’s words and their full ramifications. Elizabeth was standing at a corner, staring at Arisato, unable to strike at him, a single tear running down her cheek. Minato stood above Narukami, sneering at the gray-haired Fool.

_Is this the best effort we can put into preventing the end of the world...?_ I thought, bits of despair clouding my thoughts.

_*crack*_

Almost by instinct, I looked up and saw the stone figure crucified upon the golden gates. Cracks were running down his body, the Great Seal weakening as his bonds were slowly corroded by his Shadow doppelganger.

Grandmaster seemed to notice this as well. At a nod of Grandmaster’s head, Erebus surged forwards, claws raking at the Seal. With every blow, crimson blood leaked out of the cracks on Arisato’s body. Two rows of crimson blood flowed down from his stony eyes, joining with the small flow of blood coming out of various cracks, dripping down to form a pool at the bottom of the door.

Yet heavily injured as he was, the Great Seal held under the assault of Erebus. Even as a single Wild Card, his bonds weakened as he was, the real Arisato was still fighting to hold the gates together. A familiar, long dead voice muttered into my ear, muttering words that was said in a hotel room in Sumari City, a few hours before the owner of the voice died:

_“I don’t know. Between them and me, we went past many a crisis with no deaths. So many, that I’m starting to feel uneasy about it. Is it wrong for me to hope that we’ll do so again?”_

“No Adachi. It’s never wrong to hope…” I muttered to myself. Twisting around once more, I saw the Shadow Minato raise his sword high, as if to execute Narukami. The Investigation Team seemed to have broken out of their stupor, and Hanamura was starting to rush towards the two Fools. But even with the Magician’s considerable speed, he won’t make it.

Fortunately, he won’t need to. Lifting my lupara, I shot two times in quick succession. The buck shots caught the blue-haired Fool by surprised, launching him back a few steps away from Narukami. The fake Arisato glared at me, yellow eyes blazing, his hand reaching for his evoker in lightning speed.

A glint of steel caught both our eyes, and the Fool lifted his sword just in time to block Minazuki’s cross slash. The red-haired youth was engulfed a fiery aura, scar and eyes glowing red. He smiled apologetically at me.

“Sorry about that. It became clear early on that I would be of no use unless I channeled Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, and the channeling took a bit longer than anticipated…” Twisting around to face Arisato, Minazuki’s face darkened. “As for you… well you’re out of luck. Narukami’s life can only be claimed by _him_ through fair combat, so I cannot let you kill him.”

“Oh really? Why don’t we try that claim of yours?” Arisato smiled, yellow eyes blazing.  With those words the Shadow pushed the red-haried youth back with a flurry of strikes before swiftly summoning Messiah, who swung his chain of coffins towards Minazuki.

Tsukuyomi materialized behind Minazuki, ebony blade raised in preparation for the fight. However, Messiah flicked his wrist and the chain of coffins abruptly switched directions, heading straight for Narukami, who was still defenseless.

“ **Jester’s Privileges**.”

Messiah’s chain slowed as Eubuleus materialized in front of Narukami, his cross raised high. I grunted as Eubuleus deflected Messiah’s attack. Recoiling his chain around his arm, the Persona of Judgement leapt towards Eubuleus, who braced himself.

“Don’ you go forgettin’ about me! Ariadne!” A weave of red string spun itself in a complex pattern around Messiah, ensnaring him and barely stopping the Persona’s charge. Looking behind Messiah, I saw Labrys standing at a side with her battle-axe raised, her Persona Ariadne grabbing the other end of the strings. Both of them were breathing heavily with the exertion of holding back the mighty Persona.

I cracked a smile as a thick layer of fog gushed out around me, infusing itself into Eubuleus. I raised a hand, and particles of energy started gathering at the center of the massive cross, forming a giant sphere of crackling energy.

“ **Nebula Oculus**.” The massive laser blasted Messiah in point blank range, causing the Persona to roar in pain and fury. Using the force of my attack, Ariadne swung the giant Persona around with her strings, smashing Messiah into the ground with a giant crash. The Persona dematerialized, and I released a pent up breath, chuckling nervously. Labrys shared a nod with me before rushing forward with a battle cry and joining Minazuki in fighting Arisato.

“We might not be Wild Cards, but you’ll still have to work your ass off to kill any of us.” I taunted the doppelganger as I slowly walked in front of Narukami, reloading my gun. The Shadow snarled, but couldn’t get close due to Minazuki and Labry’s combined onslaught. My grin widened as I noticed that Arisato’s movements were becoming sluggish than before due to my debuff.

Behind me there was a stampede of footsteps as the Investigation Team ran up, surrounding their leader. Narukami’s weak voice wafted up:

“Everyone… I’m sorry… I… never thought to tell you… that…”

“That you were gaining power from our friendship?” Hanamura answered. “Huh, we thought something like that was going on. It was just shocking to hear that freak mention it in those words.”

“What…? How…?”

“It was quite obvious really.” Chie said, exasperation in her voice. “I mean, seeing how we managed to drive off that Elizabeth woman during the P-1 Grand Prix… It was quite obvious you were deriving a majority of that power from us.”

“Huh?! I didn’t notice! I just thought that Senpai was just that manly!” Tatsumi’s voice was filled with bewilderment. Kujikawa made an annoyed noise at her teammate.

“Well obviously nobody counted on YOU to notice anything, stupid Kanji!” Ignoring Tatsumi’s flustered protests, the idol returned her attention to Narukami. “Oh Senpai, you’re hurt… You don’t need to worry, we’ve been through a lot together, and we will always be there for you. Isn’t that the whole point of going through facing our own Shadows? Yukiko-sempai, can’t you do something?”

“Huh? Oh!” Yukiko started as if waking from a trance. “Of course! Uh… **Diarahan**!” As Yukiko healed Narukami, Chie snorted in annoyance.

“Jeez Yukiko, this is not the place to space out! Sometimes I worry about you…”

“Sorry! Sorry!”

“Chie-chaaaan, you don’t have to be so mean to Yuki-chaaaan!” Teddie’s squeaky voice piped up. “Seriously, you’re so un-subuttle!”

“Un-sub-buttal?” Rise repeated, deadpan. “You thought unsubtle is pronounced like that? Why do I have a feeling that I’ve already corrected someone on this before?”

“Yeah, last time it was Kanji…” Chie answered, much to a flustered Tatsumi’s embarrassment.

“Un-sub-buttle…” Yukiko repeated, and then remained silent for a few seconds. “Snrk… teeheeheehehehehehe ….hahahahahaha…!”

“Oh will you snap out of it already?!” Chie snapped irritably, only causing her friend to laugh even more. Hanamura placed a hand over his face.

“That’s what happens when you give Teddie a thesaurus…” He lamented.  In the middle of all their friend’s bickering, Shirogane’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Did you really believe that we would abandon you over something as trivial as the nature of your powers?”

“I… you’re right. I was just so afraid of losing all of you that I didn’t think clearly… I’m sorry, I was a fool.” Narukami murmured back.

“But you’re _my_ fool…” A quick peck on the lips followed that.

Twisting around, I saw Narukami stand up again, with Shirogane slightly supporting his weight. The gray-haired Fool reached out, a tarot card floating into his hand.

“Everyone… let’s do this!” Narukami crushed the card swiftly, and Izanagi-no-Okami materialized proudly behind him, restored to his full glory.

“No, wait.” I threw out a hand and the Investigation Team paused. Narukami raised an eyebrow.

“What is it Caius?” I pointed up to the Great Seal, where the true Arisato was bleeding profusely from Erebus’ attacks. Several gasps came from the Investigation Team.

“SEES must have been hit a lot harder by what the fake Arisato said. After all, he is assuming Arisato’s form and possess everyone’s memories of him. I think he corroded the true Arisato’s social links, causing the Great Seal to lose power. If that Seal breaks, it won’t matter if we manage to destroy this fake, we may all be dead.” I turned to Narukami.

“You lead your own team, and you’re also a Wild Card to boot, with the same powers as Arisato. You understand how this whole social link thing works. We need to fix Arisato’s social links fast.” I nodded towards Labrys, Minazuki, and Arisato, who were all still in the heat of battle. “I don’t think Grandmaster is gonna join the fray, and between the three of us we can keep the fake busy for a while. Go with your friends and talk to the rest of the Shadow Ops. And Elizabeth too. See if you can wake them up from this funk. We’ll need all the power we can get to survive this.” Narukami nodded.

“Got it. Everyone, let’s go!” As the Investigation Team ran off to gather their teammates, I turned back to the raging battle in front of me. Minato was ducking and weaving between the combined strikes of Minazuki and Labrys, managing to dodge or deflect every blow the duo threw at him. Behind me, I can vaguely hear Narukami speaking to someone loudly.

_Good… they’re starting…_ _well, better start earning my keep as well._ Thinking that, I cocked my gun and joined the fray, unloading both buck shots towards Arisato, staggering the Fool. Labrys and Minazuki shifted to aside as I lunged, slashing with my dagger. Arisato parried my strike, and ducked as Labry’s battle-axe flew over his hand.

Spinning around, the Fool cleared the space around him with a swing of his sword. The three of us surrounded the blue haired Fool, tensed and ready for any move he might make. Arisato brushed his hair back with his free hand, and smiled at us.

No, not at us. The Fool was smiling _past_ us.

“You know Amada… I never blamed you for Shinji’s death…” The Fool whispered, but the words carried all across the sea of souls. “Of course, that was Takaya’s fault wasn’t it? You never knew that Strega would’ve been lurking in the shadows during the Dark Hour…” I did a double take at the mention of Takaya’s name.

_‘Was that why the Shadow Ops reacted so strongly when I said I was from Strega, all the way back?’_

_‘How should I know?!’_ Eubuleus replied.

_*CRACK----*_

My head snapped upwards towards the Golden Gates. My breath caught as I noticed a new crack, larger than all the rest, running down from Arisato’s left shoulder down to his opposite hip. Vast amounts of blood leaked from the new crack, and Erebus roared in triumph. The Great Seal was breaking, the burden of holding Erebus back too much for the weakened Wild Card.

“And Junpei… if you’d just waited a bit before trying to challenge Takaya… you wouldn’t have gotten shot, wouldn’t you? And then Chidori wouldn’t have had to…” As Shadow Minato kept speaking, I saw numerous smaller cracks appear on the true Arisato’s chest.

_That Shadow… With all the memories it has… every word it says is venom, corroding the social links of the Great Seal… Shit!_

With that realization, I lifted my lupara and pulled the trigger, only for it to click empty. Swearing to myself, I broke open the gun to reload as Labrys and Minazuki resumed their assault on Arisato. As the Fool weaved in and out of the attacks easily, his ever present whisper continued:

“So many deaths could’ve been prevented… Mitsuru, couldn’t your father have done a background check on Ikutsuki or something? It would’ve cost him nothing, but as it was he paid with his life, and gave us another few extra months of grief…” I snarled in frustration as more cracks appeared on the Seal.

_Dammit he’s not stopping! No matter what we do, it just doesn’t stop his lips from flapping around!_

_“Just as some say that blood is the currency of the soul, this fog is the currency of memory.”_ Grandmaster’s words suddenly rang in my ears. I looked down at my own body, at the layers of mist that I was emitting. At the _fog_.

“Well… here’s goes nothing.” Crouching down on one knee, I focused myself, allowing the fog to flow through my body. My eyes itched as my normal cobalt pupils were replaced with neon colored lens, and waves of fog raised from under my jacket.

At the same time, the debuff on Minato wore off. The Fool quickly took advantage of his newly regained strength, launching Minazuki aside with a strong kick and forcing Labrys back with a flurry of slashes. As he turned to me, yellow eyes gleaming, he pointed the evoker to his temple, summoning Messiah. Grinning a maniacal grin myself, I pointed at the Fool, directing all my fog in his direction. The doppelganger’s smile faded as the fog covered him.

“What the-?” Arisato muttered as I directed the fog to form a thick cocoon over him.

“ **Bewildering Fog**.” I muttered as Shadow Minato’s voice and figure disappeared within the fog. I grinned to myself as I heard Narukami starting on some sort of rousing speech behind me. “I might not be able to revive memories with this fog, but I am dam well capable of obscuring all senses… And sometimes, a suitable amount of ignorance is helpful for a relationship to last…”

Within the fog, the fake Arisato struggled violently, and I snarled as I tried to restrain him. As I struggled, a shadow fell upon me. Looking up, I saw the lopsided form of Kunino-Sagiri standing in front of me.

“I’m afraid I cannot let you do that, Gevauden…” The giant Shadow God spoke with Grandmaster’s voice. I chuckled to myself.

“So that’s why Grandmaster had to kill Nametame. I should’ve known.” As I muttered to myself, Kunino-Sagiri lifted two fingers in preparation to cast a spell.

“Not so fast!” A tight braid of red strings whipped around Kunino-Sagiri’s arm and pulled taunt, making the Shadow God drop his arm. Labrys flew into view atop Kunino’s head and detached from her jet pack, which extended into her giant battle axe. Grabbing ahold of the axe in midair, she spun around and slammed the giant weapon into the rolling gears atop the Shadow God’s head. Kunino stumbled at the impact. Minazuki leapt in front of Kunino in a scarlet flash, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s aura still surrounding him, katana raised high.

“ **Flare Slash**!” Minazuki’s katanas flashed bright scarlet as he brought them down on Kunino-Sagiri in a vicous cross slash, sending the Shadow God flying back, crashing to a stop. Minazuki and Labrys both landed lithely in front of me, Minazuki swinging his katana and grinning to himself, Labrys standing firm and scowling slightly.

Kunino-Sagiri tried to stand up and failed, landing back into a broken pile. I chuckled at the sight, before raising an eyebrow in surprise. The Shadow God was dissipating into a fine mist.

“It seems that you have grown strong enough that my avatar is not enough to combat you. Very well. I shall face you myself.” A deep voice spoke up. Twisting around, my breath caught as I saw Izanami-no-Okami approaching. The fine mist that used to be Kunino-Sagiri was flowing into her, visibly strengthening her as she approached.

“Keep Arisato trapped. We’ll deal with her.” Minazuki muttered to me before leaping towards the giant Shadow Goddess. Labrys swiftly summoned Ariadne before jumping after Minazuki. Ariadne swung her string, ensnaring several of Izanami’s limbs, pulling tightly on the Shadow Goddess, restraining her.

“Leave us.” Izanami commanded. With a jerk of her arms, the Goddess pulled Ariadne into the air and swung the Persona into the distance like a rag doll. Labrys cried out as her Persona was defeated, her flight slowing for a second. Lifting a hand, the Goddess swatted her aside like a human might do to a fly. Snarling, Minazuki appeared in front of her, full of flame and fury.

“ **Flare Slash**!” The Goddess blocked the fiery attack with one of her arms. The arm cracked and withered as the infernal flames of Hi-no-Kagutsuchi burned at it. Izanami looked her burned arm with vague interest for a second before swinging another arm around, swatting Minazuki aside as well. The Goddess continued her advance towards me.

“I see that there are those among you who inherited the abilities of my sons. It won’t help you now…” The Goddess spoke as she stopped a short distance away from me. She lifted a hand, and I grunted as I felt her slowly wrenching control of the fog away from me. Snarling, I focused my efforts on maintaining control of the fog, blood dripping down my nose as a migraine started to build in my head.

“Hahaha…” I chuckled thickly as the blood dripped past my mouth. I looked up to Izanami, who was slowly raising the rest of her arms, no doubt in preparation to smite me. “Who’s the puppet now, Ma-rie-chan?”

“ **Fury of Yasogami**.” The hands fell, and I felt myself flying back as a massive amount of force crashed into me. Someone caught me, stopping my movement. Crumpling down, I coughed violently blood flowing from my mouth. In front of me, the fog cocoon dissipated, and Arisato jumped out, his eyes glowing orbs of yellow fury. Izanami, having freed my prisoner, retreated back next to Grandmaster where she knelt obediently.

“Now… I will kill you all--!” Before the false Arisato could finish his sentence, a scream of fury raised up from Erebus. Snapping my head up, I saw several streams of glowing energy fly up from somewhere behind me and infuse themselves into the Great Seal, causing the blood to flow back into the statue and healing all the cracks. Roaring in fury, Erebus slammed a hand against the Gate with all his might, yet the Great Seal stood strong, restored to its full glory.

Twisting around, my blurry vision managed to discern the one who broke my fall. It was Elizabeth, smiling as though her confrontation with Shadow Minato never happened. Behind her was the Shadow Operatives. Although some of SEES, like Kirijo, Yukari, and Aigis, still looked shaken and were leaning on members of the Investigation Team for support, the Shadow Operatives stood strong. In a distance, I caught a glimpse of Minazuki and Labrys staggering back towards the group, supporting each other’s weight like old friends.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!” Laughing was painful, especially when blood is pouring out of most of your orifices, but I allowed myself the painful pleasure as I leant back, allowing myself to fall.

_It seems like… Narukami managed to… Huh, it worked after all…_

Gentle hands caught me, and I looked up to see Elizabeth cradling my head, having caught me yet again.

“A gentleman can’t possibly die now. He would have to stay and see this to the end.” She whispered into my ear. “ **Diarahan**.”

I gasped as my injured innards twisted themselves back together, and coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood. Elizabeth looked at me with concern, but I nodded to show that I was okay. Satisfied that I would recover, the elevator attendant caressed my face once before standing up to face the false Arisato.

“As I said, you are a very well made replica. But you are still not him.” As Elizabeth spoke, the Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “So to continue where we were interrupted… presenting our grand finale…” Holding up her hand, Elizabeth gathered a ball of swirling energy into her palm which rose swiftly into the air, growing with every second. The Shadow’s eyes widened, and he swiftly pressed his evoker against his temple.

“Helei! Satan!” The two mighty Persona appeared on either side of the fake Arisato once more as the Fool struggled with the stress of summoning two Persona at once, vast amounts of almighty energy gathering above him.

“ **Megidolaon**.” Elizabeth whispered in a voice that carried through the entire sea of souls.

“ **Armageddon**!!!” The false Arisato roared his final ditch effort towards killing us.

There was a brief silence right before the two massive clouds of energy collided, but once they did all were blinded by the display. The entire sea of human consciousness shook as the two powers vied for dominance.

And then it was over.

Opening my eyes, I blinked rapidly as my sight returned. Looking forward, I saw Elizabeth and Arisato standing exactly where they were before. Suddenly Arisato dropped to his knees. The Fool’s yellow eyes were opened wide as they looked down to see a massive hole in his abdomen, where fog was rapidly escaping.

In a short span of time, Shadow Minato’s face transitioned through several expressions. Anger, frustration, sadness, and finally resignation. As his body crumbled, the Shadow looked up to the gathered Shadow Operatives and let out one final chuckle as his face melted away.

Soon after, the Shadow’s empty husk crashed onto the ground, dissolving rapidly until nothing but a fine dust remained.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                “That… was unpleasant…” Elizabeth muttered as the dust that used to be Shadow Minato was scattered within the sea of souls.

I nodded in agreement, now looking past our battlefield towards the figure of Grandmaster. The bandaged mastermind was still floating with his back to us, the flaps of his trench coat still flapping idly around him. His face was slightly turned in our direction, just barely acknowledging our existence. Erebus was back in his positon on the left side of the Gate, eyes glowing at us while Izanami-no-Okami knelt silently on the right.

After a tense silence, Grandmaster let his head roll back as he stared up at the sky, a breath of exasperation hissing through his mouth. I raised an eyebrow at the rare display of emotion.

“After all the time it took to gather these materials, it still didn’t work… How troublesome…” Grandmaster complained in a calm and collected voice.

“Hell yeah it didn’t work!” Tatsumi yelled, shaking a fist at the floating figure. “It’d take more than that to take down us!”

“It was a miscalculation on my end…” Grandmaster mused, not showing any sign of having heard Tatsumi’s outburst. “With Minazuki and Caius still alive, I should’ve altered my plan to accommodate them as well…Ah well, par for the course I suppose…”

“A miscalculation?” Kirijo asked. Grandmaster slowly turned around to face us.

“I see that you have many questions, Kirijo. Unfortunately, it is not within my nature to answer questions.” A faint chuckle came from under all the bandages. “And besides, what use is it enlightening those who are about to die?”

“You-!!” Junpei almost leapt up with rage, only to be held back by Akihiko. Instead, Shirogane walked forwards a few steps.

“Then allow me to summarize the crimes you have committed.” Grandmaster nodded his head at the detective, who continued: “For some unknown reason, you have been intent on opening the Golden Gates, knowing full well that Nyx, the Goddess of Night and Death is on the other end, ready to wipe out mankind. You have also been intent on collecting the fragments of various Shadow Gods, to the extent that you have aided inhumane experiments such as Project Prometheus to help you seek out individuals who have such fragments within them.

“To this end, you directed the Project Prometheus director Matsumoto to target Adachi-san during our final confrontation, directly resulting in Adachi’s death. You also employed the aid of Caius Gevauden and Sho Minazuki to kidnap Taro Nametame, who you then murdered to harvest the fragment of Kunino Sagiri that was left within his soul.” Grandmaster nodded in agreement, shrugging slightly. Shirogane scowled and continued.

“After that, you sent Caius and Minazuki to steal the mementos of Minato Arisato, the boy who formed the Great Seal. Achieving that, you pitted your mercenaries against us, intending to harvest their Personas as well after all of us were weakened by the fighting. That failed, but only because of Elizabeth’s intervention, so you used the mementos of Arisato to corrode his social links, intending to release Nyx and bring about the fall of mankind! Have I missed anything?!” Grandmaster let out a dull chuckle.

                “Unfortunately for you Shirogane, you missed almost everything.” Shirogane’s eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips at Grandmaster’s response. “My plans did not start with Project Prometheus. That whole farce was merely a clean-up operations. And clean-up they did. After all, you’re standing here in front of me, all in one place, with no need for me to run around and gather you, right?”

                “How arrogant… You talk as though you’ve got this all in the bag…” I replied.

                “Yeah!” To my surprise, Hanamura chimed up in agreement. “You can be as smug as you want, but you’re just another maniac that has to be put down!”

                “And we _will_ put you down.” Narukami followed up, his face a mask of tranquil fury.

                “So this is what righteous anger feels like…” Aigis intoned slowly before expanding her whole arsenal in a series of clicks. Her eyes, previously calm and dull, flared up like lanterns of fury. “You tried to tarnish our memories of our leader, the one who had saved my soul before he saved the world. That, I cannot accept…” Nodding, Kirijo drew her rapier, leading a whole chorus of the sound of metal slithering against metal as all the Shadow Operatives readied their weapons.

“Grandmaster, in the name of the Shadow Operative, you are under arrest for various Shadow-related crimes, including several counts of murder, attempted murder, and attempting to commit the ultimate crime against humanity.” Kirijo pointed her sword at Grandmaster. “Will you come quietly into our custody?”

Grandmaster stayed silent in the face of Kirijo’s declaration, his shoulders shifting up and down rapidly.

“What, cat got your tongue, or did you just decide to get a stroke and die?!” Tatsumi snarled at Grandmaster, only causing Grandmaster’s shaking to intensify. A low chuckle started coming out from under Grandmaster’s bandages, rolling perfectly in sync with how his shoulders shook. My eyes widened.

The bastard was _laughing_. He was faced with a small army of Persona users, each wielding the power that could easily destroy a city. And he was _laughing_.

After a few seconds of chuckling into the tense silence, Grandmaster seemed to have gotten it out of his system, reverting to his usual stoic demeanor.

“You think this is funny?” Kirijo asked, eyes narrowed.

“Of course. You see, my memories stretch back since the beginning of time, and even the oldest of humans are mere toddlers in my eyes.” Grandmaster replied slowly. “How would you feel if a toddler walked up to you and declared that you were a criminal because of a law that his kindergarten class came up with? Of course it’s funny. But I digress…”

As he spoke, Grandmaster loosened the bandages around his neck. As he unraveled the bandages, his trench coat came loose and fell to the ground. On either side of the Gate, Erebus and Izanami’ outlines blurred as both of them dissolved, Erebus into a black mist, Izanami into thick fog. Grandmaster’s bandages started falling off, and the mist from both Erebus and Izanami converged upon his figure, hiding him from sight.

“Think about the enemies you faced in the recent years, Shadow Operatives.” Grandmaster’s voice drifted out of the mixed fog.  “Nyx, the Queen of the Silent Night. Erebus, the Wish for Peaceful Death. Izanami, the Goddess of Ignorant Bliss. And Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, the God of Apathetic Solitude. Can you see a connection between the four of them?” Grandmaster’s voice paused for a brief moment and the fog started condensing.

“What’s your point?” Junpei snarled.

“They all represent humanity’s wish for the end of worry and conflict, for a much simpler life. They are all _my_ avatars, shattered pieces of _my_ existence…” The mist suddenly condensed, forming a single floating figure in front of the Golden Gates. The last of Grandmaster’s bandages fell onto the floor, revealing the mastermind’s appearance at last.

Imagine a portrait that was full of color. Then imagine that in the middle of the portrait, there was a human-shaped blank space where there was absolutely no paint or color of any sort, as if the artist forgot to paint that section. From the outline you can guess that the figure is human, and you can clearly deduce what the figure is doing, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the figure itself was just _nothing_.

That was how Grandmaster looked. A human-shaped, blank slate of nothingness, as if whatever Creator that created the world had simply overlooked the creation of Grandmaster. His body wasn’t a bottomless void, it wasn’t blinding light. That would’ve been _something_. Instead it merely showed a shifting, papery hue of light brown. The color of a portrait unpainted. The color of _nothing_.

“Well, I suppose we should start at introductions again, shall we? People have known me by many names. Hundun, Ymir, Tianmat… Nietzsche even referred to me as The Dwarf… But perhaps we should choose one that you are all comfortable with?” As he spoke, the blank figure floated slightly higher, his outline shimmering.

“I am Chaos, the primordial God of Nothingness. My awakening symbolizes humanity’s wish for release from their stressful existence. And my completion would bring about the fulfillment of this wish… And once I extract Ameno-Sagiri and Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, I would be strong enough to break down this Gate and reunite with my last fragment…” With that sentence Chaos looked pointedly at me and Minazuki.

No malice, no hate, just a simple statement, a simple notification that he was going to kill the two of us. I ground my teeth in anger. Narukami raised his katana in preparation while approaching. At his side, Aigis advanced as well, various pieces of weaponry deploying from her arsenal.

“It seems like once more, we will have to fight for the fate of the world side by side, Yu-kun.” Aigis remarked.

“So it seems…” Narukami responded, lifting his katana over his head.

“What’s with that lousy response, eh partner?” Hanamura joked as he walked forward, a kunai spinning in either hand. “We not good enough a team for you?”

“Even if we’re not, we’re all you’ve got, right?” Junpei was walking up next to Aigis, swinging his bat around. Gripping the bat firming between his hands, Junpei smiled as the bat burst into flames, charging up with power. “So better get used to this!”

“Hah! Speak for yourselves!” Satonaka flipped into place next to Hanamura with a few cartwheels, planting her feet firmly in a ready fight stance. “The Investigation Team is all Yu would ever need! Right Yukiko?”

“Yes, of course.” The Priestess snapped her iron tipped fan shut, releasing a small burst of fire from the tip. “For my family, for my friends, and for Inaba, we can’t let this madman do whatever he wants.”

“Seems like we’re being left behind by the next generation, Mitsuru. Do you feel old already? Cos I kinda do.” Akihiko teased as he walked up to the frontline as well, shaking loose the joints in his body.  The boxer crouched into an orthodox boxing stance. “Ah well, last generation or not, I’m not ready to kick the bucket just yet…”

“Who are you calling ‘old’, Akihiko?” Mitsuru responded as she walked into position, the tip her rapier drawing a line of ice on the ground next to her. “I’ve still got more than enough executions left. Maybe one for you later…” The heiress giggled slightly as Akihiko spun around to stare at her with a terrified expression.

“If my deductions are correct… Chaos would be responsible for everything behind almost all the Shadow events starting from the explosion in Tatsumi Port Island almost 15 years ago…” There was a roll and click as Shirogane reloaded her revolver. “If that’s the case, this fight would truly end things, once and for all.”

“Yes, his involvement with events seemed to have exceeded even what I foresaw…” Elizabeth commented lightly as she flipped through her grimoire.

“I couldn’t care less how far back this guy reaches.” Yukari notched an arrow and drew her bow. “He’s the one keeping Minato chained to that Seal. So it’s my job to defeat him.” Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

“I haven’ been around for that long… But I do know a few things…” Labrys hefted her giant axe. “One of ‘em is that I love my life right now… and if this guy wants to destroy it, I’ll be havin’ words with him…”

“What Labby-chan said is right! My life is beary good and I like it beary much!” Teddie bounced into view, brandishing his spiked gauntlet. “The fact that this guy wants to end it makes it completely unbearable!”

“So many have already died, so that I could live.” Amada spun his halberd around before pointing it at Chaos. “Who do you think you are, to just decide to end all of it?”

“Grrr…” Koromaru growled between the dagger clamped in his jaws.

“S’up with all the talking? We’re here on a rescue and ass-kicking party aren’t we?” Tatsumi slammed his shield into the ground and cracked his knuckles. “Why don’t we get started?”

“I agree with that sentiment. This farce has dragged on for way too long…” Minazuki swung his swords around and leapt into a fighting stance.

“Go kick his ass Senpai!” Kujikawa cheered towards Narukami. “Fuuka and I would stay back and support you the best we could!”

“Of course. Be careful everyone!” Yamagishi nodded her head.

“Snrk…. Heheheheheheh….. hahahahahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-!”  The Shadow Operatives looked around wildly for the source of the laughter before all eyes fell on me.

“What’s so funny?” Narukami asked. I chuckled, wiping tears of mirth from my eyes as I shook my head.

“Fate. This whole thing. Three days ago all you guys wanted was to rip my throat out or put me behind bars, and I’ll admit that my intentions towards you guys weren’t any better. Tomorrow, if we survive this, I don’t have a doubt that we’ll go directly back to that kind of relationship.” I casually loaded my shotgun as I spoke, sinking into a loose fighting stance. “But right now, we’re all side-by-side trying to stop the end of the world with the power friendship and camaraderie. Don’t you find this amusing, even the slightest bit?”

“I suppose so. Although I do hope to get to know you better after this fight.” Narukami smiled as he readied his katana.

“You Wild Cards are hopeless…” I grinned wryly before focusing on Chaos, who was silently floating this whole time, not even bothering to interfere. “We’ll see what happens after the fight.”

“Such arrogance…” Chaos intoned as he started ascending. “Look at all of you… all geared up and ready for a massive showdown…”

“Everyone be careful! We can’t get a read on him!” Rise and Fuuka shouted out in unison.

“Doesn’t matter, everyone unload everything on him!” Narukami yelled, Izanagi-no-Okami materializing behind him.

“Wait! If he reflects everything-!” Misturu voice of caution was drowned out as I hastily interjected.

“Doesn’t matter, if we allow him to charge up and attack we’re all dead anyways!” I raised a hand, a thick veil of fog pouring out from around me and condensing into a glowing sphere of energy in my hand. “ **Nebula Oculus**!”

The arc of energy that I launched was soon joined with countless other attacks from the entire Shadow Operatives, fusing into one howling torrent of energy, headed straight towards the floating figure of Chaos.

“Hehe… Children.” As the Avatar of Nothingness sneered, the torrent of attacks hit an invisible barrier, splitting around Chaos and dissipating harmlessly. My eyes widened in surprise at the sheer uselessness of the Shadow Operative’s combined attack.

“What makes you think there would even be a fight? Does this feel like a video game to you? Maybe we’ll even go in turns, with me patiently waiting for you to make your strategic decisions?” As he spoke, Chaos rose higher, his outline shimmering with energy. “Unfortunately, reality is a lot duller, a lot harsher, and a lot more peaceful than that…” Suddenly, two yellow lights flared up briefly on Chao’s face where the eyes would be on any human being. The shimmering aura detached itself from Chao’s outline and drifted outwards towards the Shadow Operatives. My eyes widened in recognition.

_That’s the same move that he used to… Shit!_

“ **Der Letzte Mensch**.” Chaos murmured as his aura swiftly washed towards us. With a flash, my evoker was pointed at my chin.

“Eubuleus!” My Persona materialized behind me, grabbed me around the waist and started running away from Chao’s attack. Beside me, I saw Narukami react the same way, but he was a beat slower and the aura brushed against him. The gray eyes suddenly went dull, and the gray haired Fool collapsed, his face a bored expression. Left and right, Shadow Operatives being caught by the attack and dropping like leaves in autumn.

_‘It’s happening again… Goddamit!’_

_‘Don’t worry about that, we’ll soon be out of-’_ Eubuleus’ response was suddenly cut short. I felt the arm around my waist loosen. Looking down, I saw Chao’s shimmering aura had brushed against Eubuleus’ heel.

_‘Eubuleus?!’_ No response, only dead silence as my Persona dematerialized. Soon, I felt a cold touch on my toe as the aura caught up with me. I grunted as the cold crawled its way up my leg and into my chest, where it clutched at my heart.

And then I didn’t care anymore.

I dropped to my knees, eyes staring dully forward at Chaos. The limp bodies of the Shadow Operatives littered the field, but none of that mattered. Nothing mattered, not even the floating figure of Chaos that was slowly drawing closer.

“A little poison now and then: that makes for pleasant dreams. And much poison at the end for a pleasant death.” Chaos quoted to himself as he drew closer. “Life is such a stressful thing to deal with. Isn’t this much better?”

A part of me reasoned that 5 minutes ago I would have attacked, escaped, respond with a witty comment, or done _something_ in response to Chaos drawing closer to me. As it was though, I was just barely surprised at how much change 5 minutes can do to a man. At this point, doing _anything_ would be a waste of time and effort, so why even bother?

Chaos stopped right in front of me. The two of us stared at each other for a few seconds, my dull blue eyes to the blank slate that was his face. Then he lifted his hand, and mist flowed out of my mouth in response. A strange, twisting feeling came from my chest, and the rational part of my brain interpreted the feeling as pain. Probably passed the definition for _excruciating_ pain. How would the Caius five minutes ago have reacted to this? Scream, pass out, or shoot Chaos in the chest? I don’t know. It all seemed so far away now…

 At the beckoning of Chao’s fingers, the fog rolled out and condensed into a faint, shimmering figure in front of me. Eubuleus’ figure. The Persona was standing there, slack-jawed and eyes dull just like his master. Fitting, it would seem. As Eubuleus finished materializing, Chaos beckoned, and the daze Persona took a step towards him. I was vaguely aware of the twisting pain in my chest intensifying as our connection was stretched past what was healthy.

                “ **Flare Slash**!” A red arc flew past, slicing off Chao’s outreached arm. I grunted as Eubuleus snapped back into my mind, like an overstretched elastic band snapping back into shape. Chaos and I both looked over to where the red arc originated from, to see a certain red haired youth rubbing his katanas together nonchalantly, a gleaming red aura surrounding him.

                “Huh… so Minazuki took over for a while, right? The memories are arranged exactly like he always leaves them… Huh… **Sukukaja**!” A swirl of green energy infused itself into Sho as Tsukuyomi swung his scythe behind him. “Well… now that I’m up to _speed_ , let’s start with introductions. Name’s Sho, Sho Minazuki. Minazuki’s out for a while, thanks to you, so now you have to deal with me. Sho me what you’ve got!”

                Tensing up, Sho grinned before disappearing into a red flash, charging straight at Chaos, his swords flashing. The God of Nothingness stepped back and dodged Sho’s attacks, but the punster merely spun around, bringing his blades in a circle towards Chao’s neck.

                “Why no response? The strong and silent type, aren’t we?” Sho laughed as Chaos dodged his slash yet again. “Well, I like the _dead_ silent type better! **Flare Slash**!” Sho’s blades flashed bright orange as they heated up, and the punster brought them down heavily at the God’s head.

                _*clang*_

                Sho’s breath caught, his body shaking from the exertions. His blades, still glowing bright red, were caught tightly in the grips of Chao’s intact hand. The punster snarled, but couldn’t pull his swords free. The God of Nothingness held out the stump of his severed arm. The severed arm in front of me twitched, and flew back to its owner, snapping itself back into place. Chaos flexed his arm before pointing the palm at Sho.

                “Well, it seems that I’ll have to harvest Hi-no-Kagutsuchi first. No matter…” Sho snarled in pain as a few wisps of red mist started pouring out of his mouth towards Chao’s outstretched palm.

                “Come, Asterius, rip him LIMB FROM LIMB!!!” An inhuman cry, dripping sadism rang out from the side, and a huge shape rose up behind Chaos. It looked like a flaming Minotaur with his lower body sunken in the ground, chains binding him to the floor. With a mighty roar, Asterius swung a huge claw towards Chaos, only to be stopped motionless as the God caught the hand with his own.

The red mist snapped back into Sho, and the punster shook violently. A combat knife was shaken free and fell out from under the school uniform that Sho wore around his waist, which the punster then kicked upwards. The knife flew straight towards Chao’s face, and the God tilted his head to avoid the attack. Taking advantage of Chao’s distraction, Sho flipped over and planted both feet into the God’s chest. At the same time, Asterius swung his other claw around, striking the God of Nothingness with a vicious backhand. The combined strike sent Chaos sliding back a few meters before he stopped his momentum and resumed his floating.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!” Maniacal laughter rang through the sea of consciousness as Asterius retreated behind the laughing figure of Labrys. The mechanical maiden was laughing uncontrollably, her usually red eyes glowing a familiar shade of yellow, her face twisted in a sadistic grin. “So little miss class president decided to step down yet again, leaving me to clean up her fucking mess. WHATEVER! As long as I get to destroy all I want, I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!”

“You again…” Sho snarled at Labrys. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Oh, so you’re here as well.” Shadow Labrys sneered at the punster, hefting her giant axe. “Last time I remember, you were freaking out while I kicked your puny ass. So be a good boy and stay out of my way, ya hear me punk?!”

“Why you piece of shit…!” Sho started to retort before taking a deep breath and turning back to face Chaos. “Whatever, I’ve got bigger fish to fry now. But after this is done, I will turn you to a pile of scraps…” The Shadow let out a shrill laugh at that.

                “Kiss my skinny metal ass, punk! But you’ve got one thing right, you’re not my problem right now…” Shadow Labrys swung her battle axe around and pointed at Chaos. “You. Are. An. Eyesore. So I think I’ll start with YOU! Hahahahaha…!”

With a maniacal laugh both Labrys and Asterius charged at the God of Nothingness. In a flash, Sho appeared behind Chaos, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s aura intensifying around both him and Tsukuyomi. Both of them were tensed up, ready to attack.

“Now that’s a plan that I can get _behind_!” Sho laughed maniacally as both him and Tsukuyomi rushed, blades flashing, towards the God. “ **Flare Slash**!”

“ **Oblomov’s Dream.** ” A swirling blue orb of energy surrounded Chaos, forming a tight shield around him. As Labrys, Sho, Asterius, and Tsukuyomi struck the orb, the orb rippled and absorbed the energy of all four strikes. After a second, the shield rippled once more, and a surge of energy expanded from it, sending all four opponents flying away a good distance from him. “Useless… there is no attack that could strike emptiness…”

“Well, I beg to differ.” A light voice spoke up. “You simply have to fill up the emptiness.” Elizabeth walked into sight, a smile on her face. A sweat drop rolling down her neck betrayed her façade of confidence.

“So, you managed to regain your will. I should have expected, being not of human born…”

“Such parlor tricks can get…!” Elizabeth paused before giggling to herself. “Well, I suppose I cannot call it parlor tricks anymore, can I? After all, I did temporarily fall under its thrall… Now, I suppose I should show you some of my own little parlor trick.” As she spoke, a swirling ball of almighty energy started forming in Elizabeth’s palm.

“What’s the meaning of all this though? Humanity itself has lost the will to wade through the sea of trouble required to live. My awakening is proof enough of that.”

“If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about humanity, with the limited observations that I conducted, is that they are much more complicated than those of us on the other side. A single human might simultaneously retain the will to live, die, create, and destroy. They are interesting beings like that, and I have never found a dull moment when I walked amongst them.” Elizabeth retorted, the swirling ball of Almighty energy in her hands growing larger by the second.

“And now, after years of observing and interacting, I find that I have gained a few human traits myself. Perhaps I can show you what I mean.” Pointing at Chaos, Elizabeth sent the ball of energy floating in the God’s direction. “Presenting… **Megidolaon**.”

“ **Oblomov’s Dream**.” The swirling ball of energy halted as it encountered the blue barrier. Elizabeth extended a hand and pushed forward, and the ripples on Chao’s shield intensified as more power was placed into the attack, but still held. Elizabeth was trembling from the exertion, but the God of Nothingness was not even fazed.

“No… it has to be enough… I can’t fail here…” Elizabeth muttered to herself.

“It will never be enough. Such is human nature, bouts of activity are merely little bumps in their natural state of apathy.” Chaos responded. “Humans have been aware and active for far too long… their return to a simple, easy, ignorant life within Eden is long overdue…”

I blinked as Elizabeth started breathing heavily from the struggle.

 “I disagree with that.” A slightly mechanical voice spoke up. Aigis walked into view, dragging her steps as if every step is taking all her willpower. “We have worked so long to achieve what we have achieved… There is still a long path for the human race to tread, and there are many who would care enough to fight for humanity’s right to their current existence. The boy who is bound to the Gate is living proof of such individual’s existence. And I will not allow you to undo his sacrifice! Orpheus Telos!”

The crimson Persona materialized behind Aigis. Detaching his harp from his back, the Master of Strings strummed the instrument. Massive shockwaves emerged from the instrument, building up as a condensed ball of sound in front of Aigis.

“Humans are not meant for apathy as you say. They have emotions, such colorful, complicated emotions that are built in. Even a machine like me have picked up on such emotions, showing that such emotions can only spread, and not be discarded. And certainly not unusual.” Aigis threw her head back and expanded her chest, floating a few inches from the ground. “So hear me, hear my **Heartful Cry**!”

The energy that was focused in front of Orpheus Telos was unleashed into a massive shockwave that honed in on Chaos, joining Elizabeth’s attack in assaulting the shimmering shield. The shield shook once more, but remained intact.

“Emotions… are irrelevant.” Chaos muttered. “Throughout human history, emotions have been seen as destructive to people’s lives and careers, and thus is something that humankind have been working to suppress. This trend of history is near its fruition… and would not be stopped by the likes of you.”

I blinked once more. A sense of unease was entering my mind, and I shifted my weight slightly.

Behind Chaos, the figure of Yu Narukami twitched. The gray-haired Fool started to slowly crawl back up. His dull gray eyes blinked a few times before regaining their vigor. Darting his bright eyes around, the Fool quickly assessed the situation as he crawled back to his feel.

“Huh… it seems like I fell for that trick again...” Narukami muttered as he stood up, Izanagi-no-Okami materializing behind him. “You can say what you want Chaos, but I believe that humans still care, after all. True, within all of us there is a small glimmer of thought that hopes for release and wishes for ignorance. Even I, during many times in my time in Inaba, has thought ‘why can’t everyone just leave me alone for a second?’ I also have a part of me that wishes to close his eyes towards reality, and just sink into the bliss of ignorance…” As the Fool spoke, his mighty Persona started spinning his spear, gradually gaining more and more energy with each rotation.

“But that’s not all there is to humanity. Even trapped in the deepest pits of despair, the thickest fog of lies, humans still strive to be better, to improve themselves!” Narukami removed his glasses and threw them away. “Humans have the will to live! The Shadow Operatives proves this. The Investigation Team proves this. _I_ prove this. This… is the **Myriad Truths**!”

At Narukami’s command, a pillar of light shot out from the center of Izanagi-no-Okami’s spear, joining forces with Elizabeth and Aigis’ attack on Chao’s shield. The surface of the glowing blue shield rippled once more, this time more violently than before. But it still didn’t break. Not a single scratch.

“If a tree falls in a forest and none is there to observe it, has the tree ever fallen? Or was it merely born lying on the ground?” Chaos mused. “Truth is subjective, while emptiness is objective… So what will you do now, guardians of humankind? Your hand is laid bare, you’ve taken all that you can take, and given all that you could give. But it still isn’t enough to sate the emptiness…”

The sense of unease was increasing. Is there something that I should be doing now? Is there anything that would be _worth_ doing now? As I wondered to myself, time seemed to grind down to a halt, leaving me in my contemplations.

_‘Of course!’_ A childish voice spoke out. From the corner of my eye a little girl skipped in, blonde ponytail swishing around. _‘We still have to beat the bad guys, remember?’_

“A-Annie?” I mumbled. “What… what are you doing here?”

_‘What? Did you forget? I came to help when you were almost losing Chicot to that big mean guy right? What was his name, Watana… something? And now I’m here to help again!’_ Annie looked up at me innocently. _‘That’s what friends are for right? Helping each other?’_

“Friends… Hehehe…” I chuckled to myself. “What would that matter now? Nothing matters.” Annie pouted, as three sets of footsteps got closer.

_‘Gah… why do kids have to run so dam fast?’_ The annoyed voice of Jin berated the still pouting Annie. _‘Hey kid, didn’t I tell you to wait for us?’_ Jin scowled at the little girl spun around and blew a loud raspberry at him.

_‘Seems like you are in quite a jam, Caius.’_ Chidori giggled at my side. _‘What happened to the thrill seeking merc that we all knew? C’mon, pick up your evoker.’_

“And do what?” I replied dully. “What can I hope to achieve at this point?”

_‘What did we ever hope to achieve, Caius?’_ Takaya’s amused voice came from my other side. _‘At the end of our time together, when we were killing folks for five pennies apiece, we weren’t trying to achieve something, were we?’_

_‘Adding a purpose in everything kinda kills the fun, don’t you think?’_ Jin was sitting cross-legged, typing rapidly on his laptop while Annie stared over his shoulder. The hacker stole irritated glances at the little girl every now and then, but Annie pretended to not notice.

_‘We of Strega only sought to live in the moments.’_ Takaya proudly declared. _‘Have the years changed you so much that you forgot this simple fact?’_

“It… doesn’t really make sense though…” I muttered. I felt a warm breath against my ear as Chidori rested her head on my shoulder.

_‘Does love make sense? Does hate make sense? Does anything that matters make sense?’_ The Lolita giggled. _‘Then why should this? Just do what makes you feel good. Why would we ever need a reason?’_ Another pair of footsteps approached.

_‘Dammit… I take a nap and this shit happens…’_ Adachi walked into sight, yawning widely. _‘So what’s the update, eh? Are you doing something, or not?’_

“I… I… I’m not sure…” I muttered, shaking my head slowly. “I feel like I should be doing something… but why? Why would I go out of my way to do something at this point…?”

_‘So you say there’s no reason for doing anything. Did we ever need a reason to have fun?’_ Adachi walked over and grabbed my arm. _‘Now get up. There’s still people waiting for you to join the fray. Go on, have some fun.’_

Chidori grabbed my other arm and the two of them hoisted me up. Takaya took my evoker and pressed it into my hand, wrapping my fingers around it and pointing it at my head. Jin snapped his laptop shut and stood up, as if preparing to leave. Annie ran forward and grabbed my free hand, tugging to at it in the direction of Chaos.

_‘C’mon Caius, let’s go beat up some bad guys!’_ I took several deep breaths before smiling at the little girl before me, to all my lost friends throughout my whole life.

“Yes… Let’s.” Closing my eyes, I pulled on the trigger of the evoker. “PERSONA!”

Annie, Strega, and Adachi were all engulfed in a bright red light, which then reformed into the shape of Eubuleus. Fog poured out of my body as my pupils rotated within themselves with neon-colored lens. Chaos turned in my direction, as if surprised by my awakening. I raised a hand towards the God of Nothingness.

“ **Nebula Oculus**.” A giant beam of laser shot out of my outstretched palm, joining the assault on the blue shimmering shield surrounding Chaos.

_What-?_ My eyes widened as I felt the pressure of the attack rebounding from Chao’s shield. Before I could react, I was sent flying by the rebounded attack. As I landed in a bloody heap, I heard a light snicker from next to me. I spat out a mouthful of blood and saw Shadow Labrys observing me with her glowing yellow eyes, leaning back casually on her Persona Asterius.

“Heh, who do you think you are? In the middle of ring there’s a primal God and three Wild Cards, one of them an Avatar of Power.” The mechanical maiden jeered at me. “And you think that you can just simply join the fray? Ha! What a joke.”

“…Got a point there, hehehe…” I chuckled at my own arrogance, blood leaking from my lips as I crawled back up. “But perhaps, there are other ways I can take part in this little scuffle…” Getting back to my feet, I started walking towards the main part of the fight once more, Shadow Labry’s voice ringing out behind me.

“Hey, did you even hear what I said? There’s no way people like you and me can join that fight! What the hell, are you even listening?! Fine! Then walk you your death if you will! I don’t care!”

_‘You know she has a point, right?’_ Eubuleus remarked. _‘We are not strong enough to join that fight.’_

_‘Brute force has never been our style, Eubuleus. Never has, and never should be.’_ I retorted as I approached Chaos.

“I am slightly surprised that you managed to shake off the spell.” Chaos commented. “You aren’t a Wild Card. You’re just a normal mortal. How did you shake off the spell?”

“You spell removes people’s drive to action, right?” I answered breathlessly. “Everyone here has a big goal. Rid the world of Shadows. Free Minato. Reclaim a split personality. Everyone has something that keeps them moving. But not me.” As I spoke, I pressed my evoker against my temple.

“Intriguing…” Chaos commented. “But I would advise you against attacking me again. You already saw what happens when you do that.”

“Such arrogance. Who said I was going to attack you?” I asked softly before pulling the trigger.

“ **Jester’s Privilege!** ” Chao’s shield wavered again as the debuff was applied to him, while Elizabeth’s attack strengthened.

“So, as I was saying… I have no underlying life goal. I live my dam life on a contract by contract basis.” I continued my monologue. “I have no long-term goal except for surviving. I just do everything for the shits and giggles. So of course, there really wasn’t any powerful drive behind me to start out with…

“So of course your spell couldn’t hit me as hard. There’s only that much you could do to remove something that was never there.” I raised my evoker against my temple once more. “ **Jester’s Privilege**!”

This time it was Aigis who received the boost as Chaos was further weakened. The shield wavered once more, threatening to break, but managed to maintain intact, but exertion on Chaos’ end was clear. The sound of ragged breathing came from the God as he continued to fend off the three-pronged attack.

“You see, the Shadow Operatives live their lives as a mean to another end. If they can fulfill that life goal in the process, they won’t care if they throw their lives away. So of course, once you take that ‘end’ away, they cease to have any purpose for action. Makes sense that only the strongest among them managed to shake off the spell.” Staring at Chaos directly, I pressed the muzzle of the evoker against my temple once more. “You can’t do that for me though. For me, my life is an end in its own right. I am a puppet pulling his own strings, slave only to my own will.”

_‘You don’t have enough SP Caius. You pull that trigger, we’ll be drawing part of the cost directly from your psyche.’_ Eubuleus warned.

_‘When did we start worrying about that?’_

_‘Fair enough. Go ahead.’_

“ **Jester’s Privilege.** ”

My head jerked back from the impact as the spiritual bullet tore through my mind once more, pulling Eubuleus out with it. My Persona jabbed his spear in the direction of Chaos, and the shimmering shield rippled violently as its owner weakened once again, and Narukami’s aura grew brighter as the Fool grew stronger. I sagged slightly, hand holding my head. A mild throbbing was starting behind my eyes, the start of a migraine. That’s what you get for overusing your Persona…

Chao’s weakened shield shook violently from the combined augmented assault from the three Wild Cards. After a few tense seconds, the ripples died down, leaving the shimmering blue sphere intact. I sank to my knees, breathing heavily.

_‘No…no way…’_ Eubuleus seemed to be at a loss for words.

_‘So it still wasn’t enough…?’_

_*crack*_

My eyes widened at a single shining crack that appeared on the otherwise perfect surface of Chao’s shield. A ghost of a smile started flickering around my lips. The Wild Cards also noticed the crack as they doubled their efforts on breaking the shield, causing the crack to grow and branch out. Chaos looked disinterestedly at the growing crack in his defenses.

With a massive crash, the shimmering blue shield shattered, and the God of Nothingness was assailed by the combined efforts of the three Wild Cards. Multiple colors swirled around within the blank space that formed his body, and his outline shimmered brightly, threatening to meld with the environment.

“So… I see you have gathered the wherewithal to repel me. No matter. I shall simply go to sleep again. What happens next though, I cannot say…” A chuckle came from Chao’s bloating form. “Although if I had to bet, I’d bet _he_ would have plenty to say on the matter… Hehehe…”

_He? Who’s he?!_ I barely had the time to think before Grandmaster was engulfed in a blinding light, triggering a full blown migraine in the back of my head. Covering my eyes, I kneeled over and pressed head against the cold floor, waiting for the raging headache to end…


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: … Really? 35 chapters later we’re still doing this? *sigh*. I only own the OC.

* * *

 

                The blinding light of Chao’s demise faded. The migraine did not. I groaned as the throbbing headache increased. A hand grabbed my head and pulled it up roughly, and I felt the lip of a plastic bottle touching my mouth.

                “Drink this. You’ll feel better.” Sho’s voice commanded. Too blurry to respond, I gulped down the liquid and sighed as the headache lessened. Reaching up, I grabbed the bottle from the punster’s hand and guzzled the content down. Sho’s grip on my head loosened as the punster backed up to give me space.

                Finishing the drink, I dropped the now-empty bottle of TaP Soda and stood up. My head still throbbed, but not enough to debilitate me anymore. Sho stood at a distance, smirking at me.

                “You should be glad that Minazuki thought of packing some provisions. If it was me I would never have even bothered.” Sho commented. I smiled.

                “I guess I owe both of you my gratitude. What happened here?”

                “Go see for yourself.”

                Shrugging to myself. I surveyed the battlefield. The Shadow Operatives were still littered around the ground, but most of them were stirring and getting back up from the ordeal. Narukami, Aigis and Elizabeth still stood where they were when Chaos was destroyed. In Chao’s place stood two men. One of them wore a deep brown suit and had matted black hair over a pale face. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. The other wore a pure white attire while a blue butterfly mask covered the upper half of his face. In the arms of the man in white lay an unconscious woman.

                “Marie!” Narukami rushed forwards. The masked handed the unconscious body of Marie over to the Fool, while the other man merely sneered.

                “You know, I don’t understand why you saved her. Waste of time and energy, that’s what it is.” The masked man looked back at his companion, his mouth twisted in annoyance.

                “If you could ever understand compassion, you would not be who you are now.” The other man merely smiled, revealing sharp fangs under his lips.

                “Yeah, I guess you’re right…” The man removed his sunglasses, revealing bright yellow eyes. The man took a deep breath. “Ah… it’s been such a long time since I breathed fresh air like this. Makes me want to spread my wings a bit…” Without warning, two leathery wings erupted from the back of the man’s head, followed by pincer-like claws and a leathery body. A dark, faceless gargoyle wearing a jeweled crown crawled out of the hole and stretched out its wings. The empty human shell, now unneeded, collapsed to the floor where it scattered into a swarm of black butterflies.

                “Yessssss… it’s been far too long…” With that final statement, the gargoyle leapt into flight, quickly disappearing into the sea of human consciousness.

                Narukami was still holding on to the limp form of Marie. The Shadow Operatives have mostly recovered and were gathering in this direction. Elizabeth took a few deep breathes before walking up to the masked man. I eyes widened in surprise as the elevator attendant curtsied deeply in front of the masked man.

                “Master. I see that you have returned.” Elizabeth spoke with a careful tone, while the masked man merely chuckled and wove his hand.

                “You no longer serve the Velvet Room, Elizabeth, therefore I am no longer your master. Perhaps I should also introduce myself to your friends.” The masked man surveyed the surrounding Shadow Operatives. “I am Philemon, born from humanity’s collective will to benevolence, enlightenment, and creation. The one who just left is Nyarlathotep, born from humanity’s collective will to malevolence, corruption, and destruction.”

                “Wait, so that means that the guy who just flew away…?” Akihiko asked in bewilderment. Philemon nodded.

                “Yes, he is the embodiment of humanity’s most selfish and destructive traits, and given time he would attempt to push humanity towards self-destruction, just as he has attempted many times before.” Philemon’s face remained calm as Tatsumi grabbed his collar violently.

                “Then why’d you just let him go?! You should’ve told us so we could’ve squashed him right here and now!” The Emperor yelled.

                “And bring Chaos back so soon?” Tatsumi gaped dumbly at Philemon’s response. A few minutes passed before Aigis decided to break the silence.

                “What do you mean by bringing Chaos back?” Philemon sighed before answering.

                “The answer to that goes back to the start of mankind. When Nyarlathotep and I first awakened, humanity has just begun to be self-aware. Being born from opposite facets of human nature, the two of us made a bet upon humanity:

“I bet that humanity would transcended their animalistic instincts and achieve enlightenment, while Nyarlathotep wagered that humanity would give in to their primal urges and eventually destroy everything, including themselves.” Philemon raised a hand as several of the Shadow Operatives made sounds of outrage.

“I am well aware at how you humans view this contest, as I have been confronted on the topic before. But you should also be aware that the bet is the only reason why Nyarlathotep has not destroyed this world personally, instead relying on manipulating humans. If he had so desired, humanity would have been wiped out before your great ancestors figured out how to open a coconut with a stone.”

“Well that isn’t the case now, isn’t it?” Kujikawa responded in a heated voice. “Your excuse of ‘protecting us’ doesn’t stand anymore, we’re completely able to protect ourselves! Face it, you’re just making excuses to continue your game. You-”

“I was of the same opinion, which is why 13 years ago I unleashed the full potential of the Velvet Room and managed to kill Nyarlathotep over two heated conflicts.” Philemon cut through Rise’s retort with a calm voice, leaving the idol gaping in surprise. “13 years ago, Nyarlathotep gathered the power of Shadows and focused it in Sumaru City, making the city a blend between the physical world and the Sea of Souls. Sensing this, I made the decision to split the Wild Card’s ability between several individuals, and awaken the true potential of all the minor arcana as well. This resulted in a generation of Persona-users with unprecedented power, far excelling even what you Shadow Operatives have at your disposal.”

“Sumaru City…” Kirijo murmured. “That’s the place where Nanjo mentioned…”

“Kei Nanjo? Ah yes, I remember that boy.” Philemon smiled as if recalling a fond memory. “At the time of the final battle, he wielded the Emperor, the Suit of Cups, and the Suit of Swords. He was a veteran by the time the battle began, not afraid to get his hands dirty when it came down to it. But I digress. After several major conflicts and the destruction of a whole timeline, the group of Persona-users finally confronted Nyarlathotep’s true form, and vanquished the Crawling Chaos. At that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud.”

“But that wasn’t the end of the story, right?” Narukami prodded. Philemon shook his head sadly.

“No, unfortunately not. After Nyarlathotep’s death, I looked forward to an eternity of observing humans achieve enlightenment. But mere months after the final battle, I felt something… different.” The masked God placed a hand over his chest, as if in discomfort. “Another consciousness was growing within me, whispering in my ears that humans have already grown enough, that they are tired after so many years of strife. That they should simply rest…”

“Chaos.” I muttered darkly. Philemon nodded.

“Chaos.” He agreed. “I tried to keep him locked out, but I could feel him gaining more power with every day of peace. Ironically, my age old struggle against Nyarlathotep has been the only thing keeping the apathy under control, and with him dead, I could feel Chao’s influence growing within me.

“Therefore I did the only thing that made sense. I granted my loyal servant Igor full mastery of the Velvet Room, so to ensure humanity still had its Champions to stand up for them when the need arose. Then, using the last bits of my consciousness, I ripped myself into several fragments, hoping that this action will at least buy a few decades of peace for humanity to restore itself from the last battle.

“But as all of you can attest to, the peace barely lasted a few years. The larger fragments of Chaos that I ripped apart merely drifted away and contaminated a few other neutral deities, namely Nyx, Izanami-no-Okami, and Erebus. The smaller fragments eventually reunited to form the entity you know as Grandmaster. You know the rest of the story.” Philemon finished, before chuckling lightly. “When you defeated Chaos, the mixture of energies that formed his essence were split into two parts. I am one of the two, while the other is a reborn Nyarlathotep.”

“So if we had just killed Nyarlathotep… We would’ve ended up having to face Chaos all over again in a few months?” Yukari asked.

“Yes, I think it is safe to assume that right now.” Philemon answered. “But thankfully you allowed him to escape, and bought yourselves some respite. I will keep an eye on his movements, and when time comes… he will strike again, and I will need to call upon the power of the Wild Cards yet again…” With a slight bow, the masked God turned around. As he was turning, a faint groan came from the limp figure in Narukami’s arms.

“Grghhh… Yu…?” Marie’s eyelids flickered as she awoke. The girl looked up at Narukami’s face for a second before suddenly grabbing the Fool in a tight hug. “Yu!”

Shirogane cleared her throat and looked away from the girl hugging her boyfriend, while Philemon chuckled happily.

“What a sight. It’s good to see some good come out of that debacle.” With that final remark, the masked God turned around and dissipated into a swarm of blue butterflies.

“The fuck was that about?” growled Tatsumi. “So we’re trapped here havin’ to fight off a raving lunatic God over and over again, and if we kill him he just gets reborn as another dipshit? What kinda deal is that?!”

“It’s called life, Tatsumi.” I retorted, rolling my eyes. “And you can either accept it, or you can just go kill yourself in despair, cos’ I think this isn’t changing anytime soon.”

“Why you--!” Tatsumi’s angry response was cut off by a loud gasp from Yukari. Looking over, I saw the Sniper holding both hands up to her mouth, staring tearfully up at the Golden Gates. Twisting around, I saw why.

Arisato’s statue was cracking. It wasn’t the same kind of cracking that occurred when his social links were being corroded, with jagged lines and leaking blood. It was more as though the stone statue was flaking, shedding off its stony exterior for something else. Not just that, the barbed wires holding the statue onto the gates were receding, and the stone eyes blinked.

_‘Wait, what!?’_ I did a double take. Eubuleus was just as shocked as I was.

Slowly, the flaking statue looked up from his crucified state, and as his arms were freed from their manacles, the statue raised them and looked down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. After a few seconds, the statue suddenly expanded his chest as if stretching, and was obscured by a granite colored cloud that erupted from its surface.

Out from the cloud walked the now familiar figure of Minato Arisato. The Fool walked with his hands in his pockets, his upper body slightly slouched just like the doppelganger that we fought earlier. However, the difference between the two was apparent in his eyes, which were bright cobalt and looking down warmly at the Shadow Operatives.

“N-no way…” Junpei muttered, seemingly too shocked to believe it. “We… actually did it…”

“A-Arisato…” Mitsuru was also speechless. As the Shadow Operatives watched, Minato walked down slowly until he was right in front of the Shadow Operative. His lips curled into a warm smile as he raised a hand to pluck his headphones out of his ear.

“Hey everyone. It’s been a long time.” Minato’s voice was calm and warm. The sound of his voice seemed to have shocked Yukari out of her stupor.

“Minato! I--” The Sniper rushed towards the Fool for a hug, only to pass right through Arisato’s body. Turning around, Yukari stared at Minato with wide eyes, reaching a hand out. Her hand passed right through Minato’s chest “Minato… your body…”

“Ah yes… quite the predicament.” The Fool looked down at Yukari’s arm in his chest and chuckled. Now that I looked closely, Arisato’s body was transparent. “I suppose this is what happens when your physical body has been dead for a few years…”

“Elizabeth, you said that we would free him!” Mitsuru’s angered screams broke through the air, and I twisted around to see the heiress grabbing the collar of Elizabeth. Both woman looked on the verge of tears. “Explain yourself! What is the meaning of this?!”

“I did say we would free him... But I never did say that he would return to us.” Elizabeth replied slowly, unable to take her eyes off the form of Arisato.  A single tear dropped down her cheek. “When Minato gave his life force to form the Great Seal, his soul was irreversibly separated from his body. Now he is free… not to return to where he started, but to move on…”

“Don’t be so hard on her Mitsuru.” Minato smiled. “After all, all of you did free me, right?”

“But…but…” The heiress was speechless, trembling with grief.

“Aigis.” The mechanical maiden started at the sound of her name coming from Arisato’s mouth. “I see that you have received my gift.”

“Ah… Yes. Yes I have. It’s been… helpful…” Aigis’ voice stuttered. Minato laughed.

“Yes… I’ve always known that you would be the best one to receive it… I’m glad you did.” The Fool smiled warmly at Aigis. “And I’m also glad that, with it, you have taken care of the others as well.”

A sudden rumbling from the Golden Gates caused everyone to look around. The double doors had opened slightly, just wide enough for a single person to pass. At the side of the door stood a young man with raven black hair, a long yellow scarf wrapped around his neck.

“Minato… it’s time.” The man said with a smile, which Minato returned.

“A little extension please, Ryoji? For old time’s sake?” Ryoji sighed dramatically at the Fool’s request.

“You know, normally Death waits for no one… But I guess since we’ve already been stuck in this rut for 4 years, another 10 minutes won’t hurt, right?” Smiling, Ryoji lifted a hand and pointed at Minato, a wisp of red mist shooting out and surrounding the Fool. “And since we’re friends, I’ll add in a little extra…”

As the mist surrounded Minato, it started infusing itself within the Fool’s transparent body. Before our eyes, the Fool’s body gradually became more solid. Minato’s eyes widened slightly with disbelief as he reached out to Yukari’s outstretched hand. Their hands linked, and tears flowed down the Fool’s face.

“Thank you…” The Fool muttered. Ryoji merely laughed and tapped on his watch meaningfully. Minato nodded before pulling Yukari towards the SEES.

I smiled to myself as the Fool greeted all of his old friends. He ruffled Ken’s hair, clasped hands with Akihiko and Junpei, hugged Fuuka and petted Koromaru. I noticed as he was talking to Aigis, the mechanical maiden kept on touching a point on the back of her neck, almost unconsciously.

Mitsuru also acted uncharacteristically giddy, blushing often as the Fool joked around her, especially when the topic of motorcycles were brought up. Elizabeth also glowed a bright crimson as Minato stepped in and hugged her tightly while muttering thanks to her persistent efforts in freeing him.

Finally, after greeting and reminiscing with all of SEES, the Fool turned around and cupped Yukari’s cheeks in his hands, slightly lifting her chin up so that she was gazing into his eyes.

“Sorry for leaving you back then, Yuka-tan...” The Fool whispered. “And sorry for how this all turned out…”

“Stop apologizing…” Yukari whispered back, a tear falling down her cheek, “And just kiss me you idiot.”

Their lips met. The crowd around them fell into a hushed silence. I took a deep breath and looked away, giving the couple a little bit of privacy.

After a minute or two, a low shattering sound emitted from Minato’s body, followed by a surprised yelp from Yukari. Looking back, I saw that Minato’s body has reverted to its transparent form, and Yukari had almost fell through him.

“I guess that means time’s up.” The Fool remarked sadly, looking down at his ghostly arms.

“Yes, unfortunately so.” Ryoji stood up straight. Minato smiled and stepped away from the group, before turning around and facing all of SEES once more.

“I just want you all to know…” The Fool paused as he formulated what he wanted to say. “That last year with SEES… I wouldn’t have traded it for all the time in the world. And thank you all… for freeing me from the Seal.”

“Let’s go Minato. Mother is waiting.” Ryoji waved from the Golden Gates. With a slightly exasperated sigh, Minato started walking towards the Golden Gates.

“Jeez, be patient, _Pharos._ ”

“How long has it been since you’ve called me that name?”

“4 years 97 days and 20 hours. But who’s keeping count anyways?”

“….Wow…”

“Don’t judge me. On average, life as the Great Seal was pretty dam boring…”

As the two old friends shared a laugh, the Golden Gates closed shut behind them, leaving the Shadow Operatives on the other end. As the gates finally closed shut, Yukari fell onto her knees, her body trembling as sobs started to break loose.

An anguished cry rang through the Sea of Souls…

* * *

 

_Two weeks later._

                I leant back in the sofa at the corner, sipping a glass of whiskey. In my free hand I twirled the business card that was handed to me by the National Police representative.

                ‘ _Seems like there’s still a lot of space out there for a merc like me to have some fun…’_ Eubuleus chuckled at my remark.

                _‘Yo, hot girl incoming.’_ Raising an eyebrow, I looked up to find Elizabeth walking towards me with Sho trailing behind.

                “Mind if we joined you?” I laughed lightly before grabbing two extra glasses from a shelf, filling them both with whiskey.

                “Wouldn’t have it any other way. How’re things with the Shadow Operatives?”

                “Hell if I know. I bailed out of there as soon as we got back to the TV world.” Sho snorted as he took a sip out of one of the glasses. “Can’t really hang out around them when I’ve promised Narukami that I’ll kill him someday.” I nodded in agreement. Once we reached the TV world I casted a thick veil of fog to cover my escape. Sho must’ve taken that chance to disappear as well. I looked at Elizabeth.

                “They’re all still in mourning. After all, this is the second time they lost him.” The elevator attendant shrugged sadly. “Unfortunately, a few of them still blame me for withholding part of the truth from them, so I thought it be best if I kept my distance for a while.” I chuckled.

                “I’m not surprised. People rarely mourn for the death of a loved one. Most of the time they only mourn their own loss of the loved one’s company.” I took a deep drink from my glass. “So what now for both of you?”

                “Me? I’ll just have to keep on figuring out a way to get Minazuki back.” Sho responded. “Dunno where I’ll start or how I’ll start. Maybe I should just keep killing Shadows until I shake him awake. But I’ll figure something out eventually.”

                “My path, on the other hand, is even murkier.” Elizabeth muttered as she sipped from her glass. “I’ve been trying to free Minato for so long that, now he’s actually free, I don’t know what to do anymore… Perhaps I should just try walking the path of the Wild Card, although I’m not sure how I should start…”

                “So let me get this straight. Sho, you want to get Minazuki back but you have no idea how, and Elizabeth you want to figure out the whole Wild Card business but you don’t really have an idea how to do that either, right?” Both of them nodded. “Then why don’t you two join me in reforming Strega while you figure that out? It’ll be nice to have some company for once.”

                “And what exactly does joining Strega pertain to?” Elizabeth asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes. At the side, Sho stayed silent, but was also looking inquiringly at me.

                “Nothing much right now. But look at this.” I placed the business card on the table, where both Elizabeth and Sho eyed it. “This was given to me by the National Police representative in our last meeting. The way I see it, there’s still a bunch of rich and powerful folks in the government that feel uneasy with the Shadow Ops. Knowing that, we can definitely work something out with them and get a few national contracts to work on. Every government needs a sword for threatening and a dagger for backstabbing. Strega can be that dagger.

                “Also, since Takaya, Jin, and Chidori died, that leaves me as the sole admin for the Strega revenge site. I think I’ll also brush off the cobwebs on that as well and start getting us a flow of private contracts. Might take time, but once we get ourselves a reputation, we’ll get something fun.” I finished my drink and refilled the glass. “So, what do you guys think? Up for some fun while we figure out our lives?” Sho and Elizabeth remained silent for a while.

                “And what’s in it for you?” Sho asked. “Sounds like an awful lot of work as well. Why are you doing it?”

                “Shits and giggles of course. A big fat paycheck doesn’t hurt as well.” I replied, shrugging. “Life would be so boring with nothing to do, don’t you think?” Sho took a deep breath and downed his drink.

                “Eh, good enough for me.” The punster sat back and relaxed. Elizabeth, however, continued to look at me with those bright yellow eyes.

                “Caius…” She paused, taking a sip from her glass before continuing. “Telling outright lies is very unbecoming for a gentleman like you.”

                I held her gaze for a few seconds, my blue eyes staring into her bright yellow. I held it until I couldn’t take it anymore.

Then, I broke down laughing hysterically. After a while, Elizabeth’s tinkling laughter joined in, leaving a very confused and annoyed Sho looking back and forth between the two of us.

                “Okay, okay. I lied. There’s more to it than shits and giggles.” I wiped a tear of laughter away before resuming. “The last year has been just nuts for me, ever since I saved Watanabe’s sorry ass from the Shadows back in Tokyo. And now I learn the true nature of this world: This world only exists as the setting for a bet between two Gods. If any of the major players die, than it’s a game over, for us and the world. If we avert _that_ , it’ll just mean that the game starts anew, back in square fucking one.

                “People died for us to learn this. More than a few, in fact. Now I’m never the one to promote the sanctity of human life, but if it took 13 years and a shit ton of death for us to learn something, it’s not a lesson that should be forgotten. And no matter how much Philemon and Nyarlathotep treat this world as a game, I like this world as it is and I’ll be dammed if I let the Shadow Operatives fuck it up by going too far and killing Nyarlathotep again.

                “So the true mission of Strega is to keep an eye on everything and maintain the balance. Make sure Nyarlathotep never wins and never dies. If that means that we have to kill some people and go head to head with the Shadow Ops to make sure that Nyarlathotep gets his ass out of fire, so be it.” I drained my glass of whiskey, grimacing as it burned its way down.

“If every goes according to plan, the national contracts would allow us to keep an eye on the Shadow Ops and the government, while the private contracts would give us a clue of how the population feels in general. If we see murder contracts spike suddenly, we can bet that Nyarlathotep is up to something, and we’ll be waiting to either stop him or save him.” I placed my glass down with a clink. “So, what do you two think?”

Elizabeth smiled and nodded her head. Sho, on the other hand, scowled slightly.

“I liked the shits and giggles idea better.” The punster grumbled. I laughed out loud.

“Hey, we can do that at the same time. What’s life without a little bit of fun?” The punster smiled.

“Yeah, I can stand that. Count me in then.”

“So shall we have a toast, to seal the deal?” I refilled the three glasses with whiskey, and raised mine. Both smiling, Elizabeth and Sho did the same.

“Strega.”

“Strega.”

“Strega.”

* * *

 

**_The End._ **

 

               


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